Ex-MLA Kanwarlal Meena moves Rajasthan HC over delay in parole decision

Jaipur, June 15 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court has directed the State Parole Committee to decide within seven days on the permanent parole application filed by former MLA Kanwarlal Meena, who is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in a two-decade-old case involving allegations of threatening an SDM with a pistol and obstructing government officials from performing their duties.

A division bench comprising Justice Ganesh Ram Meena and Justice Pramil Kumar Mathur issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by Meena after his parole application remained pending for over two months without a decision.

Counsel for the former MLA argued that the State Parole Committee had failed to act on the application despite the passage of considerable time.

The petition also challenged the existing parole rules, contending that they do not prescribe any fixed timeline for deciding applications, thereby allowing indefinite delays and infringing upon a prisoner’s right to personal liberty.

The court directed the State Parole Committee to take a decision on the application within a week.

Kanwarlal Meena is serving a three-year sentence after being convicted in a case dating back nearly 20 years.

On May 1, 2025, the Rajasthan High Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the conviction and sentence awarded by the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ), Aklera, in Jhalawar district.

The conviction relates to charges of obstructing public servants from discharging official duties, criminal intimidation and causing damage to government property.

Following the High Court verdict, Meena approached the Supreme Court, but his appeal was dismissed.

He subsequently surrendered before a court in Jhalawar on May 21, 2025.

Following his conviction, his membership of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly was also terminated.

The case stems from an incident on February 3, 2005, when villagers blocked a road near the Dangipura-Rajgarh turn in Jhalawar district, demanding a re-poll for the election of the deputy sarpanch of Khatakhedi village.

The then SDM, Ramniwas Mehta, along with probationary IAS officer Dr Pritam B. Yashwant and Tehsildar Ramkumar, reached the spot to persuade the protesters to disperse.

According to the prosecution, Kanwarlal Meena later arrived at the scene with supporters and allegedly pointed a pistol at SDM Mehta’s temple, threatening to kill him if a recount of votes was not announced within two minutes.

When the SDM refused, stating that such a decision could not be taken under pressure, Meena allegedly snatched and destroyed the cassette of a government photographer’s camera and also took away a digital camera belonging to Dr Yashwant before returning it later.

A trial court had acquitted Meena in April 2018.

However, the appellate court later reversed the acquittal, convicted him and sentenced him to three years in prison.

The conviction was subsequently upheld by the Rajasthan High Court.

–IANS

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