JODHPUR: Rajasthan High Court has directed Rajasthan govt to release Pocso convict Asaram on 20-day parole, holding that his conviction in another state cannot, by itself, prevent him from availing parole already granted by the court.A division bench of Justice Dr Nupur Bhati and Justice Sanjeet Purohit directed the state to comply with its Aug 3 order granting Asaram parole and submit a report on his release.During the hearing, Additional Advocate General B L Bhati told the court that Asaram had also been convicted by a Gujarat court. The state argued that under Rule 14(A), he should have approached Gujarat High Court for parole, especially as his application for emergency parole had already been rejected there.Asaram’s counsel submitted that Rajasthan High Court had already granted parole and that the order remained operative.The bench observed that the state had failed to show any legal basis for treating its earlier parole order as ineffective. It also noted that the order had not been challenged before Supreme Court and that no application had been filed seeking its recall.In view of this, the court directed the authorities to comply with the Aug 3 order and release Asaram on 20-day parole. It also asked the state to submit a report on his release.
