A shift in circumstances is unfolding for jailed gangsters Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi, Neeraj Bawana and Mainpal Dhilla, as fatherhood and matrimony take centre stage. The three men, known for their alleged involvement in organised crime, secured custody parole on different days this week, either to meet their newborn children or to get married.Jathedi became the father of twin daughters this week, while Bawana embraced parenthood amid difficult family circumstances. Both were granted parole to visit their newborns.Dhilla, meanwhile, was granted 12-hour custody parole today to marry his long-time Cambodian partner.Bawana, one of Delhi’s most wanted criminals, was granted six hours of custody parole on September 17. He has been in jail since 2015 in cases ranging from extortion to murder. He was allowed to visit his wife at home and at a Moti Nagar hospital under police escort.The relief came after a family medical emergency. On August 14, his wife underwent emergency surgery and prematurely delivered triplets at 27 weeks. One of the babies died shortly after birth, while the other two required intensive care, including ventilator support.The court declined his plea for interim bail but allowed him a brief, police-escorted visit to his wife and the twins. It cited security concerns arising from his status as a high-risk prisoner and gang rivalries as reasons for denying bail.In a separate case, a Dwarka court granted Jathedi seven hours of custody parole on September 20 to visit his ancestral village in Sonipat for religious rituals following the birth of his twin daughters, conceived through IVF. Jathedi has been lodged in Tihar Central Jail since 2021 in multiple cases, including murder, kidnapping and attempt to murder.Earlier, a Rohini court had allowed him four hours of custody parole to meet his wife and newborn daughters at a Gurugram hospital after her C-section delivery. The court directed him to bear the cost of the security deployment for the interstate visit.The cases have once again drawn attention to the absence of conjugal rights for prisoners in Delhi jails, including Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini.Under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018, meetings with spouses take place under prison supervision or through monitored arrangements rather than private family visits.Delhi prison authorities have cited practical difficulties, including overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure. Tihar alone handles more than 1,200 regular visitations a day.A proposal to examine conjugal visits was revisited by the Delhi Government in late 2023 but stalled in 2024 after a similar initiative in Punjab was suspended. The prison administration has maintained that inmates can maintain family ties through parole or furlough.