MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday granted 15 days emergency leave to a life convict to enable him to marry, after his application seeking ordinary leave was rejected by the authorities citing ineligibility. A bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and S Srimathy passed the order on a petition filed by Regina Begum, mother of the convict, Margith Ali Khan.
Khan was imposed with a life sentence in a murder case in April 2022. He is currently lodged in Tiruchy Central Prison. As his marriage was scheduled on January 15, 2025, Regina Begum requested the prison authorities to grant him 25 days ordinary leave without escort.
However, the authorities pointed out that an inmate has to complete three years since the imposition of sentence to become eligible for ordinary leave. As Khan has spent only two years and seven months in prison, they rejected Begum’s request, challenging which she moved the court.
The judges wondered if Khan could be granted emergency leave. Rule 6 of the Tamil Nadu Suspension of Sentence Rules, 1982, which contains the grounds for the grant of emergency leave, clearly stated that emergency leave can be granted not only for the wedding of the son, daughter, full brother or full sister of the prisoner but also for the wedding of the prisoner himself or herself, the judges noted.
They therefore directed the Tiruchy prison superintendent to grant 15 days emergency leave to Khan from January 6 to 20 with necessary escort (in civil dress). The cost involved in providing escort would be deducted from Khan’s earnings in the prison, they added.