The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the release of Sahara chief Subrata Roy on parole for four weeks to carry out the last rites of his mother who passed away in Lucknow earlier in the morning.
A bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justices A R Dave and A K Sikri allowed Roy's plea seeking permission to perform cremation rites of his mother.
"An application has been filed by Subrata Roy seeking provisional release as his mother passed away early this morning at Lucknow... We direct that Roy shall be released on parole for four weeks," the bench said.
Besides Roy, the apex court also granted parole to one of the jailed Sahara directors Ashok Roy Choudhary.
The court, however, said that Roy would be under the protective custody of the police with an assurance from his counsel Kapil Sibal that his client would not try to escape or run away. Policemen in plainclothes will keep an eye on him.
Roy has been in Tihar jail since March 4, 2014 on the orders of the apex court in relation with a long-running dispute with market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India.
Roy's mother, Chhabi Roy, 95, passed away in Lucknow after a prolonged illness.
