Gujarat government grants 15-day Diwali parole to 143 prisoners
The parole will allow 103 elderly male inmates and 40 female prisoners to celebrate the festival with their families.
The Gujarat government has sanctioned 15-day Diwali parole for 143 eligible inmates in various state jails, according to reports by Hindustan Times and ANI. The decision was made under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi as part of prison reform and welfare programmes.
The parole period will begin on Dhanteras, on November 6, 2026. The group of beneficiaries consists of 103 male prisoners aged 60 years or older and 40 female prisoners.
The state has been providing this 15-day leave every year for Diwali since 2003. This policy allows specific eligible inmates to spend the festival with their family members.
Director General of Police (Gujarat Prisons and Correctional Department) K L N Rao stated that prisoners involved in serious offences do not qualify for this benefit. Excluded individuals include those with pending High Court appeals, NRI prisoners, and inmates from other states.
Other ineligible groups include those serving sentences under the NDPS Act, TADA, or POTA. The exclusion also applies to prisoners involved in terrorism, economic crimes, or serious offences such as robbery, kidnapping, theft, extortion, dacoity, and rape.
Prisoners convicted of more than one offence or those under preventive detention orders are also barred from the parole, the press release noted.