Custody Parole

Context:

The Delhi High Court granted six hour custody parole to national coordinator of the now banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

About Parole:

Parole is a conditional release of a prisoner who has served part of the period for which he was condemned to jail.
The release is conditional, usually subject to behaviour, and requires periodic reporting to the authorities for a set period of time. Parole is considered a reformative process.
Parole may be denied to a prisoner even when he makes out a sufficient case, if the competent authority is satisfied that releasing the convict would not be in the interest of society.
In Sunil Fulchand Shah v. Union of India (2000), the Supreme Court said explicitly that parole does not amount to suspension of sentence.
In Election Commission of India vs. Mukhtar Ansari (2017) case, the Delhi High Court declared that custody parole cannot be used as a substitute for bail and cannot be extended for long periods of time or for daily visits.

Custody Parole or Emergency Parole:

Custody parole is provided in emergency situations.
Except for foreigners and those serving death sentences, all convicted persons may be eligible for emergency parole for 14 days for reasons such as the death of a family member and the marriage of a family member.

Regular Parole:

Except in exceptional circumstances, offenders who have served at least one year in prison are eligible for regular parole for a maximum of one month.

Eligibility for the Grant of Parole:

A convict must have served at least one year in jail, excluding any time spent in remission.
The prisoner’s behaviour had to be uniformly good.
The criminal should not have committed any crimes during the period of parole if it was granted previously.
A minimum of six months should have passed since the previous parole was terminated.

News Source: The Hindu, ipleaders