Pallavi murder case: Officer who granted parole to killer suspended

Maharashtra Home department has suspended the then prison superintendent of Nashik prison for granting parole to convict Sajjad Mughal, who was serving life sentence in the sensational Pallavi Purkayastha murder case and later went missing.

Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) B K Upadhyaya said that the suspension order of the then jail superintendent J S Naik was signed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday evening.

"Based on the report of Deputy Inspector General (Jails) Rajendra Dhamne, who headed a probe into the incident, the Home department has decided to suspend Naik with immediate effect. He committed a grave error in granting parole to Mughal," Upadhyaya told PTI.

Naik was given charge of Amravati jail a few weeks back.

According to a source in the Home department, Naik was already facing a departmental inquiry for granting furlough to two persons, who were convicted in terrorism related charges and had escaped while out on leave.

As per the jail manual, furlough is not granted to those who are convicted under such charges.

Mughal, a native of Jammu and Kashmir, had sought parole citing ill health of his mother in February, which was granted as per due procedure. He had then sought an extension of two months, Nashik Central Jail Superintendent Ramesh Kamble had earlier said.

The jail authorities informed Nashik Road Police that Mughal did not return after completion of his parole, following which a complaint was lodged against him on April 28.

Corporate lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha (25) was murdered by Mughal on August 9, 2012, at her apartment after he made advances at her which she resisted.

Mughal was employed as a watchman in the building. He had managed to get a duplicate key of the main door of Pallavi's house where she lived with her fiance, Avik Sengupta.

Avik had found her body lying in a pool of blood when he returned home on the fateful day. A little over a year, he also died of a brain disorder.

A local court had sentenced Mughal to life imprisonment in 2014.