The AAP government on Tuesday opposed in Delhi High Court a parole plea by a convict serving life term in the Jigisha Ghosh murder case, saying there was a threat that he may misuse the relief and abscond.
He is also facing trial in the 2008 murder of TV journalist Soumya Viswanathan.
Murder convict Ravi Kapoor, in custody since March 2009, has approached the court seeking parole for three months to take proper medical treatment as he was suffering from life-threatening disease and for surgery of chronic sinus.
Bad conduct in prison
Highlighting Kapoor’s record in jail, the State government in its report said his conduct in prison is not good and he has been given 41 punishments on various counts, including misbehaviour with officials.
The status report of the authorities was filed before Justice Mukta Gupta, who listed the matter for further hearing in April, after the convict’s counsel sought time to file reply to the report. In the report filed through Delhi government Standing Counsel (Criminal) Rahul Mehra along with Advocate Jamal Akhtar, the government sought dismissal of the parole plea claiming that Kapoor was a “dreaded criminal”.
There is an imminent danger and real threat that he may abscond by misusing the parole, the report said.
Kapoor was also facing trial for allegedly murdering Soumya and several prosecution witnesses are yet to depose against him in the matter. The authorities also informed the court that the High Court had in June 2018, granted parole to Kapoor for filing an appeal in the SC and re-establishing social ties with family.
However, the parole was set aside by the apex court after the state filed an appeal against the HC order.
Kapoor was convicted and awarded death sentence by a trial court in the Jigisha Ghosh case. Capital punishment was commuted to life term by the High Court in 2018.
Jigisha Ghosh (28), was abducted and killed on March 18, 2009, at 4 a.m. in Vasant Vihar here.