Nashik, Nov. 27 (PTI): Praveen Mahajan, serving a life sentence for killing his elder brother and BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, was today released on 14 days’ parole.

A Mumbai court had awarded the life sentence to Praveen in December 2007 for killing Pramod at the BJP leader’s flat in Worli. He has been lodged in Nashik Road central jail since then.

A senior jail official said: “Praveen had applied for furlough (a leave of 14 days given to life convicts every two years to meet their families) three months ago, and he was granted permission today. He left the jail around 1pm.”

Dressed in a grey kurta and white pyjamas, Praveen was escorted out of the jail by his wife Sarangi and son Kapil.

Speaking to reporters outside the jail, Praveen said: “I have given an undertaking that I will not leave my residence and travel anywhere. I don’t want to create problems for my family. So, I intend to stay at my Thane residence and spend time with my wife and two children.”

Asked about his yet-to-be-published book Majha Album, where he has heaped scorn on Pramod, he said: “I stand by every word in the book. No publisher is willing to publish it because of (political) pressure. If someone has a problem with the book, they are free to contest the contents of the book legally.”

Excerpts from the book, published in a Marathi newspaper in April, had stirred up controversy. In the book, Praveen had called Pramod “a fixer, dealer, double-dealer, conspirator” who either relied on “buying” people or “scaring” them into submission.