The Rajasthan High Court has instructed the State Parole Committee to promptly decide on the permanent parole request of former MLA Kanwarlal Meena within seven days. Meena is currently serving a three-year prison term in a case dating back two decades, involving accusations of threatening an SDM with a gun and obstructing government officials.
Meena’s plea had been pending for over two months without a resolution, prompting his counsel to challenge the parole rules for lacking a fixed timeline for application decisions. The court, comprising Justice Ganesh Ram Meena and Justice Pramil Kumar Mathur, directed the committee to address the application within a week to prevent delays affecting a prisoner’s personal liberty.
Following a conviction related to obstructing public servants, criminal intimidation, and damaging government property, Kanwarlal Meena’s appeal was dismissed by the Rajasthan High Court on May 1, 2025. Despite his subsequent plea to the Supreme Court, the conviction and sentence were upheld, leading to his surrender before a Jhalawar court on May 21, 2025, resulting in the termination of his Rajasthan Legislative Assembly membership.
The case traces back to a 2005 incident where Meena allegedly threatened an SDM with a pistol during a protest demanding a re-poll for a village election. Despite an initial acquittal in 2018, a higher court later reversed the decision, sentencing Meena to three years in prison, a ruling that was affirmed by the Rajasthan High Court.
