The Delhi High Court has granted three weeks’ parole to one of the convicts in the high-profile murder case of IT executive Jigisha Ghosh, primarily on humanitarian and medical grounds. The court’s order, issued by Justice Sanjeev Narula on November 12, explicitly permits the convict, who has been diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), to use the period for necessary medical treatment.

The convict, who has already spent approximately 16 years in jail, is serving a life sentence in both the 2009 Jigisha Ghosh murder case and the 2008 murder case of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan.

Conditional Grant of Parole

The High Court granted the temporary relief after the counsel for the State informed the bench that they had no objectionto the convict being released on parole, instead of the furlough he had originally sought. The convict had challenged the authorities’ July 26 decision to deny him a three-week furlough.

The parole was granted subject to strict conditions to ensure his return and to facilitate his medical care:

• Medical Mandate: The convict “should attend to his medical needs and continue his ongoing treatment for HIV during the period of parole.” The State counsel specifically requested this, noting that the convict should be allowed to manage his medical needs independently.
• Geographic Restriction: The convict is strictly mandated not to leave the limits of the National Capital Region (NCR) during the parole period.
• Financial Security: He must be released on a personal bond of ₹25,000 with one surety of the like amount.
• Surrender Order: He is directed to surrender before the jail authorities immediately upon the expiry of the three-week parole.

In view of the State’s concession to grant parole, the convict’s lawyer, Advocate Anup Kumar Das, agreed not to press the petition challenging the denial of furlough but requested, and was granted, liberty to apply for furlough at an appropriate stage in the future.

Background of the Convict and The Twin Murders

The convict is one of the perpetrators in two of Delhi’s most sensational murder cases, both linked by the police to a motive of robbery:

• Jigisha Ghosh Murder Case (2009): Jigisha Ghosh, a 28-year-old IT executive, was kidnapped and killed on March 18, 2009, shortly after her office cab dropped her near her home in Vasant Vihar, South Delhi. Her body was found two days later in Surajkund, Haryana. A trial court had initially awarded the death penalty to two of the convicts in 2016, but this sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.
• Soumya Vishwanathan Murder Case (2008): The investigation into Jigisha’s murder led police to the recovery of the weapon used, which subsequently cracked the murder case of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan. Soumya was shot dead on September 30, 2008, while returning home in her car. The same convict was also found guilty in this case by a trial court and was sentenced to a life term in 2023.

The grant of parole, though temporary, underscores the judiciary’s approach of balancing the gravity of the offenses committed with the fundamental human right of a convict to access necessary medical treatment, particularly for serious illnesses like HIV, which requires continuous and specialized care.