With the jurisdictional police failing to trace 26 convicts, who are absconding after being released on parole, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the State Director-General and Inspector General of Police to constitute a team under the supervision of an Additional Director General or Inspector General of Police to ensure appropriate steps to effectively trace them.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Jayant M. Patel and Justice N.K. Sudhindrarao passed the order on noticing that despite a lapse of three years since the court had issued a direction for nabbing all the convicts who failed to return to prison at the end of their parole.
As of February 2014, 42 convicts were absconding after being released from prison on parole. In a status report submitted to the court, the prison authorities stated that 14 of these convicts have been arrested while two died. The remaining 26 are absconding as on May 2017.
Separate criminal cases have been booked against the absconding convicts and the people who stood surety for them. The city police commissioner, in his report, stated that efforts are being made by the jurisdictional police to trace the convicts who were residents of Bengaluru.
The issue came to light in February 2014 when the High Court directed prison authorities to produce a convict as there was no advocate to represent him in an appeal. Prison authorities informed the court that he did not return to jail after being released on parole two years ago.
In April 2014, the High Court issued a series of guidelines to monitor release of convicts on parole, as a report submitted by prison authorities indicated that some had been at large for 14 years.
