Delhi HC grants Tihar Jail time to file status, medical report on Ravi Kapoor's parole plea

Delhi High Court has granted more time to Tihar Jail authorities to file status and medical reports on a plea filed by Ravi Kapoor, a convict in Jigisha Ghose murder case, seeking parole for a period of eight weeks on medical grounds.

A bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambh on Monday showed displeasure with the authorities for the delay in filing the required report on time and said that "despite last order dated June 5, 2020, neither a status report has been filed by the State nor has the updated nominal roll or medical status report been received from the Jail Superintendent".

Additional standing counsel Ranbir Singh Kundu submitted that a status report was filed on June 13, 2020, but added that the same was returned by the registry with some objections.

Kundu sought further time to have the same placed on record, which the court allowed and posted the matter for further hearing on June 22.

Ashutosh Kaushik, counsel for the petitioner, had earlier told the court that the petitioner is suffering from life-threatening disease, various other medical conditions such as hearing loss, difficulty in breathing, psychiatric illness, fistula, disc problems, and urological problems.

A medical status report of Kapoor dated May 2 has also been submitted before the court.

Kaushik said that Kapoor have been in judicial custody for about 11 years and that in the current situation of the prevailing pandemic, it is in the interests of justice that the petitioner be granted parole for a period of eight weeks.

Kapoor is serving a life term in connection with the Jigisha Ghosh murder case and is also facing trial in the sensational 2008 murder of TV journalist Soumya Viswanathan.

Jigisha, 28, who was working with Hewitt Associates Pvt Ltd as an operations manager, was kidnapped and killed on March 18, 2009, after her office cab dropped her near home in South Delhi's Vasant Vihar around 4 am. Her body was recovered on March 20, 2009, from Surajkund in Haryana. Police later arrested Kapoor and two other men in the case.

( With inputs from ANI )