'If you can give parole in grief, then why not in happiness', High Court gives relief to a man to send his son abroad

The Bombay High Court granted 10 days' release to a father serving a life sentence in a murder case in order to transfer his kid to Australia to study. During the hearing on the case, the court stated that if parole may be granted to express grief, it can equally be granted on happy occasions. The court also stated that criminals who are a person's father, son, brother, or husband may be granted conditional release for a period of time. So they may keep connected to the outside world while also meeting the demands of their family.

On July 9, a bench of Justices Bharti Dengre and Manjusha Deshpande, while hearing the petition of Vivek Srivastava, who is serving a life sentence in a murder case, granted parole. The bench called it a humanitarian approach towards the convicts. Vivek Srivastava had demanded one month parole to arrange Rs 36 lakh for the education and other expenses of his son who is going to study at a university in Australia and for his farewell. The prosecution in the case opposed it and said that parole can be granted only in emergency situations. Parole cannot be granted to arrange money for the son's education and to send him off. The High Court said that the prosecution's argument is beyond comprehension. The court said that if parole can be granted for marriage, then in the present case a father has to fulfill the needs of his son. The court remarked - that sadness and happiness are emotions. When parole can be granted to express sadness, then this should be done on happy occasions as well. The court said that if a father is unable to arrange for the expenses of education, then his son may lose the opportunity to get a good education. Vivek Srivastava is serving a sentence in a murder case that took place in 2012. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2018. Vivek had filed a petition in the High Court against the sentence in 2019.