1 2025:HHC:21842 IN THE HIGH COURT OF HIMACHAL PRADESH, SHIMLA CWP No. : 2948 of 2024 Reserved on : 07 .07.2025 Decided on : 08.07. 2025 Het Ram …Petitioner Versus State of Himachal Pradesh and others …Respondents Coram The Hon’ble Mr. Justice Virender Singh, Judge. Whether approved for reporting?1 For the petitioner : Ms. Suchitra Sen, Legal Aid Counsel. For the respondents : Mr. Anup Rattan, Advocate General, with Mr. Mohinder Zharaick, Mr. H.S. Rawat, Additional Advocates General, Ms. Ranjna Patial & Mr. Rohit Sharma, Deputy Advocates General, assisted by Inspector Som Dutt, SHO, Police Station Karsog, District Mandi. Virender Singh, Judge By way of the present writ petition, petitioner- Hem Ram has invoked the extra ordinary writ jurisdiction of this Court, under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, seeking the following substantive reliefs, amongst others: 1 Whether Reporters of local papers may be allowed to see the judgment? Yes. 2 2025:HHC:21842 “(i) Issue a writ of manadmus directing respondents to grant parole to the petitioner, as per the law.” 2. As per the case set up by the petitioner, he has been convicted by the Court of learned Special Judge, Fast Track Special Court (POCSO), Mandi, District Mandi, vide judgment dated 31.05.2022, for the offences, punishable under Section 376AB and 506 of the IPC and Section 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act, has been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for twenty years and to pay a fine of Rs.1,52,000/-. 3. According to the custody certificate annexed with the petition, the petitioner has undergone a total substantive sentence period of three years, eleven months and fifteen days, till 26.12.2023. 4. The petitioner applied for grant of parole to the competent authority, in order to meet his family and to manage the domestic affairs. 5. According to the petitioner, his application has been rejected by respondent No.2, on 15th December, 2023, vide Annexure P-2, without assigning any justifiable reason. 3 2025:HHC:21842 6. On the basis of the above facts, a prayer has been made to quash and set aside the order (Annexure P- 2), by virtue of which, the request of the petitioner for releasing him on parole, has been rejected. A prayer has also been made to allow his request for parole. 7. When put to notice, the factual position, with regard to conviction and sentence imposed upon the petitioner, has not been disputed by the respondents. 8. It has also not been disputed that the petitioner had applied for grant of parole, to meet his family and the manage the domestic affairs. 9. According to the respondents, the request of the petitioner was duly forwarded to the District Authorities, i.e. District Magistrate, Mandi, and Superintendent of Police, Mandi, however, District Magistrate, Shimla, has not recommended the prayer of the petitioner, on the basis of the objection raised by the local police and local inhabitants to the release of the petitioner on parole. The other allegations have also been controverted by the respondents. 4 2025:HHC:21842 10. On the basis of the above facts, a prayer has been made to dismiss the writ petition. 11. As per the custody certificate, annexed with the reply, the substantive sentence undergone by the petitioner is five years, eight months and twenty nine days. The petitioner has applied for 28 days’ parole (Annexure R-3), which was recommended to be rejected by the District Magistrate, Mandi, vide letter, dated 3rd November, 2023 (Annexure R-4). 12. The primary purpose of releasing the convict on parole has elaborately been discussed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, in Asfaq versus State of Rajasthan and others, reported in (2017) 15 SCC 55. Relevant paras-17 to 24, of the judgment, are reproduced, as under: “17. From the aforesaid discussion, it follows that amongst the various grounds on which parole can be granted, the most important ground, which stands out, is that a prisoner should be allowed to maintain family and social ties. For this purpose, he has to come out for some time so that he is able to maintain his family and social contact. This reason finds justification in one of the objectives behind sentence and punishment, namely, reformation of the convict. The theory of criminology, which is largely accepted, underlines that the main objectives which a State intends to achieve by punishing the 5 2025:HHC:21842 culprit are: deterrence, prevention, retribution and reformation. When we recognise reformation as one of the objectives, it provides justification for letting of even the life convicts for short periods, on parole, in order to afford opportunities to such convicts not only to solve their personal and family problems but also to maintain their links with the society. Another objective which this theory underlines is that even such convicts have right to breathe fresh air, albeit for periods. These gestures on the part of the State, along with other measures, go a long way for redemption and rehabilitation of such prisoners. They are ultimately aimed for the on the basis of the objection raised by the local police and local inhabitants to the release of the petitioner on parole good of the society and, therefore, are in public interest. 18. The provisions of parole and furlough, thus, provide for a humanistic approach towards those lodged in jails. Main purpose of such provisions is to afford to them an opportunity to solve their personal and family problems and to enable them to maintain their links with society. Even citizens of this country have a vested interest in preparing offenders for successful re-entry into society. Those who leave prison without strong networks of support, without employment prospects, without a fundamental knowledge of the communities to which they will return, and without resources, stand a significantly higher chance of failure. When offenders revert to criminal activity upon release, they frequently do so because they lack hope of merging into society as accepted citizens. Furloughs or parole can help prepare offenders for success. 19. Having noted the aforesaid public purpose in granting parole or furlough, ingrained in the reformation theory of sentencing, other 6 2025:HHC:21842 competing public interest has also to be kept in mind while deciding as to whether in a particular case parole or furlough is to be granted or not. This public interest also demands that those who are habitual offenders and may have the tendency to commit the crime again after their release on parole or have the tendency to become threat to the law and order of the society, should not be released on parole. This aspect takes care of other objectives of sentencing, namely, deterrence and prevention. This side of the coin is the experience that great number of crimes are committed by the offenders who have been put back in the street after conviction. Therefore, while deciding as to whether a particular prisoner deserves to be released on parole or not, the aforesaid aspects have also to be kept in mind. To put it tersely, the authorities are supposed to address the question as to whether the convict is such a person who has the tendency to commit such a crime or he is showing tendency to reform himself to become a good citizen. 20. Thus, not all people in prison are appropriate for grant of furlough or parole. Obviously, society must isolate those who show patterns of preying upon victims. Yet administrators ought to encourage those offenders who demonstrate a commitment to reconcile with society and whose behaviour shows that aspire to live as law-abiding citizens. Thus, parole program should be used as a tool to shape such adjustments. 21. To sum up, in introducing penal reforms, the State that runs the administration on behalf of the society and for the benefit of the society at large cannot be unmindful of safeguarding the legitimate rights of the citizens in regard to their security in the matters of life and liberty. It is for this reason that in introducing such reforms, the authorities cannot be oblivious of the obligation 7 2025:HHC:21842 to the society to render it immune from those who are prone to criminal tendencies and have proved their susceptibility to indulge in criminal activities by being found guilty (by a Court) of having perpetrated a criminal act. One of the discernible purposes of imposing the penalty of imprisonment is to render the society immune from the criminal for a specified period. It is, therefore, understandable that while meting out humane treatment to the convicts, care has to be taken to ensure that kindness to the convicts does not result in cruelty to the society. Naturally enough, the authorities would be anxious to ensure that the convict who is released on furlough does not seize the opportunity to commit another crime when he is at large for the time-being under the furlough leave granted to him by way of a measure of penal reform. 22. Another vital aspect that needs to be discussed is as to whether there can be any presumption that a person who is convicted of serious or heinous crime is to be, ipso facto, treated as a hardened criminal. Hardened criminal would be a person for whom it has become a habit or way of life and such a person would necessarily tend to commit crimes again and again. Obviously, if a person has committed a serious offence for which he is convicted, but at the same time it is also found that it is the only crime he has committed, he cannot be categorized as a hardened criminal. In his case consideration should be as to whether he is showing the signs to reform himself and become a good citizen or there are circumstances which would indicate that he has a tendency to commit the crime again or that he would be a threat to the society. Mere nature of the offence committed by him should not be a factor to deny the parole outrightly. Wherever a person convicted has suffered incarceration for a long time, he can be granted temporary parole, irrespective of the nature of 8 2025:HHC:21842 offence for which he was sentenced. We may hasten to put a rider here, viz. in those cases where a person has been convicted for committing a serious office, the competent authority, while examining such cases, can be well advised to have stricter standards in mind while judging their cases on the parameters of god conduct, habitual offender or while judging whether he could be considered highly dangerous or prejudicial to the public peace and tranquility etc. 23. There can be no cavil in saying that a society that believes in the worth of the individuals can have the quality of its belief judged, at least in part, by the quality of its prisons and services and recourse made available to the prisoners. Being in a civilized society organized with law and a system as such, it is essential to ensure for every citizen a reasonably dignified life. If a person commits any crime, it does not mean that by committing a crime, he ceases to be a human being and that he can be deprived of those aspects of life which constitute human dignity. For a prisoner all fundamental rights are an enforceable reality, though restricted by the fact of imprisonment. {See – Sunil Batra (II) v. State (UT of Delhi) (1980) 3 SCC 488 , Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) 1 SCC 248 and Charles Sobraj v. Superintendent Central Jai, Tihar, New Delhi, (1978) 4 SCC 104. 24. It is also to be kept in mind that by the time an application for parole is moved by a prisoner, he would have spent some time in the jail. During this period, various reformatory methods must have been applied. We can take judicial note of this fact, having regard to such reformation facilities available in modern jails. One would know by this time as to whether there is a habit of relapsing into crime in spite of having administered correctional treatment. This habit known as “recidivism” reflects the fact that the 9 2025:HHC:21842 correctional therapy has not brought in the mind of the criminal. It also shows that criminal is hardcore who is beyond correctional therapy. If the correctional therapy has not made in itself, in a particular case, such a case can be rejected on the aforesaid ground i.e. on its merits.” (self emphasis supplied) 13. In light of the above decision, this Court would now proceed to consider the fact as to whether the rejection of the petitioner’s prayer, seeking his release on parole, is sustainable in the eyes of law. 14. Alongwith the reply, the certificate issued by Up-Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Kelodhar, Development Block Karsog, District Mandi, Ward Member, statement of the wife of the petitioner and one Gian Chand, have been annexed, wherein, all of them have stated that they are apprehending danger to the lives of the wife and children of the petitioner, in case, he is released on parole. 15. The ground, upon which, the prayer of the petitioner has been declined by the respondents, is the recommendation made by the District Magistrate, Mandi. The said recommendation has been made on the basis of the objections raised by the wife as well as local residents. 10 2025:HHC:21842 16. In view of the apprehensions, so made, in the reply, on 20.06.2025, this Court has passed the following orders:- “ Cr. Appeal No.174 of 2022 The present appeal is ordered to be de- tagged from CWP No.2948 of 2024. CWP No.2948 of 2024 For consideration, to come up on 27.06.2025. Meanwhile, SHO, Police Station Karsog, District Mandi, H.P., is directed to submit the report, with regard to the permanent abode of petitioner- Het Ram, as well as, the permanent address of child victim, well before the date fixed.” 17. In compliance to the said order, on 7.7.2025, the respondents have filed the status report disclosing herein that the petitioner is permanent resident of village Udman, Post Office and Tehsil Karsog, District Mandi, whereas, the child victim, who is his daughter, is not residing in village Udman. As per the status report, on inquiry, her mother Smt. Shakuntla Devi, disclosed that on attaining the age of 18 years, the child victim was married to “X” in District Solan. Thereafter, the police has contacted the husband of the child victim and it was found that she is residing in the matrimonial home, in District Solan. 11 2025:HHC:21842 18. Police had also recorded the statement of the wife of the petitioner, which has been annexed with the petition. Considering the said factual position, when the child victim is not residing in village Udman, then, for the apprehensions, which have been expressed, by the complainant, who is wife of petitioner and mother of child victim, reasonable conditions can be imposed. 19. Moreover, on the basis of the apprehensions, allegedly made by the wife, the relief, to which, the petitioner, otherwise is entitled to, cannot be declined to him. For those apprehensions, reasonable/stringent conditions can be imposed, in case, the relief, as claimed, in the writ petition, is granted to the petitioner as, the prisoners should be allowed to maintain their family and social ties. They should also be given an opportunity to solve their personal and family problems and to enable them to maintain their links with society. In case of any violation, the relief, which would be given to the petitioner could be curtailed. 20. Although, complainant and accused are from the same family, i.e., husband and wife, but the relief, as 12 2025:HHC:21842 sought in the petition, can only be given to him, by directing him, not to reside/visit the house, in which, the complainant is residing, nor try to contact her, in any manner. 21. In such situation, in the considered opinion of this Court, rejection order, dated 15th December, 2023 (Annexure P-2), passed by respondent No.2, is not sustainable in the eyes of law. As such, the same is quashed and set aside. The prayer, so made in the application (Annexure R-3) is allowed and the petitioner is ordered to be released on parole, for a period of 28 days. 22. Accordingly, the present petition is allowed, in the following terms: (i) Order, dated 15th December, 2023 (Annexure P-2), rejecting the request of the petitioner for parole, is quashed and set-aside; (ii) Respondents are directed to extend the concession of parole to the petitioner, for a period of 28 days, on his furnishing a personal bond in the sum of 1,00,000/-, with two ₹ sureties in the like amount, to the satisfaction of Superintendent of Jail, Model Central Jail, Nahan, District Sirmaur, H.P.; (iii) The petitioner shall also undertake that he shall not reside in the house, in which, the complainant, as well as her children are residing and shall not cause any threat or 13 2025:HHC:21842 inducement to them, nor, try to contact them, in any manner; (iv) It is made clear that the petitioner shall surrender before Superintendent of Jail, Model Central Jail, Nahan, District Sirmaur, H.P., on expiry of parole period. In case, the petitioner breaches any of the conditions of parole order or creates any law and order problem, then, the respondents are free to cancel the parole and take action against the petitioner, in accordance with law; (v) In peculiar facts and circumstances, of the case, the respondents are at liberty to impose any other just and reasonable condition(s), in addition to the conditions mentioned hereinabove, if deemed fit and proper, to meet the ends of justice; (vi) Violation of any of the above conditions shall be treated as a negative factor for consideration of similar prayer, in future. 23. Pending miscellaneous applications, if any, shall also stand disposed of, accordingly. 24. Registry to communicate this order to the Superintendent of Jail, Model Central Jail, Nahan, District Sirmaur, H.P., for compliance. ( Virender Singh ) Judge July 08, 2025 ( ps )