Parole System in India: Comparative Analysis (With Specific reference to the States of Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal)

In India every State has its own law, rules, regulations, guidelines on parole but there is no uniformity in the law that governs the parole system. Comparing Parole Rules of different States gives an insight on the discrepancies that exists in the Rules. Most provisions of parole rules in various States are similar, but certain differences that exist in parole rules of various States may lead to discrimination towards the prisoners, as the prisoners of a particular State may get more benefits due to broader and lenient parole rules in that State, while the prisoners serving similar sentence for the same offence who are eligible for parole as per the competent authority may not get the same benefits in other States due to stringent parole rules. Thus the discrepancies that exist in the parole rules of different States violate Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees equality before law and equal protection of laws to all. In this Article author has compared parole Rules of five States which includes State of Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal.