JUDGMENT

Vikas Bahl, J. (Oral) - Prayer in the present Criminal Writ Petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India read with the Punjab Good Conduct Prisoner's (Temporary Release) Act, 1962 for issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus for directing the respondents to release the petitioner for a period of eight weeks to meet his family members and look after them.

2. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that the petitioner was convicted in FIR No.9 dated 21.01.2018, under Section 22 of the NDPS Act, registered at Police Station Dhanaula, District Barnala, vide judgment and order of sentence dated 22.09.2021 and was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of 10 years and against the said judgment, an appeal has been filed before this Court, which has been admitted and the petitioner has been in custody since the more than last 1 year and 10 months. It is submitted that the petitioner had applied for parole and his case was forwarded to respondent No.2 and the same was rejected, vide impugned order dated 04.07.2022. It is argued that the impugned order dated 04.07.2022 was passed on the basis of surmises and conjectures, inasmuch as, in t