Maharashtra Pushes for Stricter Parole Laws to Curb Repeat Sexual Offences

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis has instructed officials to draft a strict law prohibiting parole for those accused of sexual offenses, citing 90% recidivism rates among temporary releasees. This follows similar past legislation overturned by courts and aims to mitigate repeat crimes highlighted by a recent case involving a young victim.

Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the drafting of a stringent law to prohibit parole for individuals accused of sexual offenses. He highlighted the pressing need for such a measure, given that about 90 percent of these crimes involve repeat offenders who are out on parole.

Fadnavis recalled a similar initiative during his previous chief ministerial term from 2014 to 2019, which was, however, annulled by the judiciary after three years. His directive follows the grim case of a 65-year-old man with a previous criminal record, who allegedly assaulted and murdered a four-year-old girl in Pune's Bhor tehsil.

He emphasized that the perpetrator of the recent crime had already committed similar offenses twice following parole releases. Fadnavis instructed the state’s law and judiciary department to fast-track the formulation of the necessary legal provisions to prevent parole abuse by sexual offenders.