The Bombay High Court has held the Superintendent of Central Prison, Nagpur - Anupkumar M. Kumre - guilty of contempt and sentenced him to seven days' simple imprisonment for selectively denying prisoners emergency parole during the Covid pandemic.
The superintendent had denied 35 poor prisoners their residual fundamental right of emergency parole, most of whom could not afford to challenge the denial. On the other hand, six ineligible prisoners were released on emergency parole.
The bench observed that its real concern was the selective application of binding precedent of the court affecting the liberty of the prisoners and subversion of the rule of law.