Tending to his ailing mother should be a grave enough reason for Manu Sharma to seek parole, considering instances where prisoners have sought temporary release for as mundane a reason as repairing a house or ploughing their field and sowing crops.

Under Section 3 of the Temporary Release Act, 1988, the State Government has the authority to release prisoners temporarily on some basic grounds as stated in jail manuals.

Release on parole is mere suspension of the sentence for the time-being to afford some relief to the prisoners in certain specified exigencies like a member of prisoner's family is seriously ill or has died, the prisoner himself is not keeping well, marriage of the prisoner himself or of any of his close relative in which his presence is inevitable.

However, parole can also be granted for ploughing, sowing or harvesting or carrying on any other agricultural operation on prisoner's land or his father's undivided land actually possessed by him.

In one instance, the Delhi High Court in 2006 granted parole for repairing a house.

In case of unseen emergencies like death of a close relative, the jail superintendent can grant an escort parole to a prisoner for three days under police protection.

In normal circumstances, parole is granted for a maximum period of one month after consent from the Divisional Commissioner to those inmates who have a good character according to the concerned authorities.

Those serving life-term for various crimes can be granted parole only after completion of a minimum of three years of jail term.

... contd.