Pallavi Purkaystha's killer Sajjad Mugal put on 'no maafi' list

Sajjad Ahmed Mugal, 28, the murderer of lawyer Pallavi Purkaystha, who jumped furlough while serving life imprisonment at the Nashik Central Jail in February last year, is likely to languish in jail for a very long time. Mugal, who was arrested from his hometown in Jammu and Kashmir after a search operation that lasted nearly 20 months, has been blacklisted from the prison's "maafi system," which ensures speedy reform of a prisoner by awarding him/her remission (days cut from his prison term) as incentive for good behaviour.

Sajjad Ahmed Mugal, accused in the Pallavi murder case, was arrested earlier this month from Jammu and Kashmir

Speaking with mid-day, Sali Rajkumar, superintendent of Nashik Central Jail confirmed that Mugal's name would soon be dele­ted from the maafi register, where the record of every prisoner's remissions is noted. The officer added that a red band would be tied on his arm to easily identify him as a defaulter for "maafi".

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In legal parlance, a life sentence means imprisonment till death, but in India, the sentence can be reduced by remission. For a person, convicted for life, it is compulsory that he/she serves a minimum of 14 years in jail, after which the prison authority decides in the final years of the jail sentence, based on the severity of the crime and the person's conduct in jail.

Pallavi Purkayastha, who was murdered at her Wadala flat in 2012

"Since Mugal has flouted rules and jumped leave sanctioned to him by the government, he won't be entitled to the monthly seven days (annually 84 days) remission that a prisoner gets, while serving sentence. Apart from this, he will also not be given 30 days annual good conduct report (AGCR) remission," said Rajkumar. This amounts to a total of 114 days.

According to a jail official, this means that Mugal is likely to serve at least 25 years behind bars, and won't be out before he is 55.

Apart from losing remission, Mugal will also lose leniency on a few other fronts. He will not be entitled to participate in any cultural event or function inside jail.

On August 9, 2012, Mugal, who worked assecurityguard of HimalayanHeights, Bhakti Park in Wadala, had murdered Purkaystha after a failed rape attempt. He was convicted in the murder case by the sessions court inJune,2014 and sentenced to life term. Mugal had taken furlough in February last year, on the pretext of visiting his ailing mother, but never returned, until he was arrested on October 10Pallavi Purkayastha Murder: All You Need To Know About The Gruesome CrimePallavi Purkayastha Murder: All You Need To Know About The Gruesome Crime.

Pallavi Purkayastha Murder: All You Need To Know About The Gruesome Crime