Chapter XVIII PRISON LEAVE, REMISSION AND PRE-MATURE RELEASE

Parole and Furlough-

1. (1) Prison leave may be granted to eligible convicted prisoners as an incentive for good behaviour and responsiveness to correctional treatment with the objective of their rehabilitation, as may be prescribed under the rules made under this Act.
2. (2) There may be the following types of prison leave, namely:
   • (a) Regular Parole
   • (b) Emergency Parole
   • (c) Furlough
3. (3) Regular Parole may be granted to eligible convicts by the competent authority under such conditions and for such purposes as may be prescribed under the rules. The period spent on regular parole may not exceed thirty days at a time and may not be granted more than two times in a year. The period spent on regular parole shall not be counted as part of the sentence.
4. (4) Emergency Parole may be granted by the competent authority to eligible convicts in rare or emergent situations, under police protection for a period extending up to forty-eight hours, as prescribed under the rules. The period spent under this parole shall not be counted as part of the sentence.
5. (5) Furlough may be granted to eligible convicts by the competent authority, as an incentive for maintaining good conduct and discipline in the prison after the completion of three years of incarceration for a period of not more than fourteen days in a year. The period spent on furlough shall be counted as part of the sentence served by the prisoner.
6. (6) For prisoners governed by any of the laws relating to the Armed Forces of the Union, the grant of leave shall be subject to the provisions of those laws.
7. (7) For public safety and preventing parole jumping, prisoners may be granted prison leave on the condition of their willingness to wear electronic tracking devices for monitoring the movement and activity of such prisoners. Any violation by the prisoner shall attract cancellation of prison leave, in addition to disqualification from any prison leave being granted in future, as may be prescribed under the rules.
8. (8) If a prisoner on parole or furlough fails to surrender on the due date, upon intimation by the officer-in-charge of the prison, the police shall arrest the prisoner under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023) and take action as per the provisions of law.

Remission to prisoners-

1. (1) Subject to the overall good behaviour and conduct of a convicted prisoner while serving the sentence, remission may be granted by the competent authority, as may be prescribed under the rules.
2. (2) The period and criteria of granting remission shall be such as may be prescribed under the rules.

Pre-mature release- Pre-mature release may be allowed to a prisoner by the competent authority with the objective of his rehabilitation and re-integration into the society. The Government may constitute a Sentence Review Committee for considering and recommending cases for pre-mature release of a convicted prisoner in appropriate cases, under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023) as prescribed under the rules.