84 Karnataka prisoners to walk free under special remission

Bengaluru, 14 July 2022 [Fik/News Sources]: The 75th anniversary of Indian Independence this year will see thousands of jail inmates walk to freedom on August 15. Karnataka too is doing its bit in joining the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ being celebrated by the Central government across the country.  The state has nearly 100 prisons which include central, district, open and taluk-level jails where more than 15,000 inmates are housed.

Of them, around 10,000 inmates are undertrials. The state-level screening committee in home department decides on reducing prisoners’ jail terms and recommends it to the state cabinet from where it goes to the Governor for final approval. In the first phase, the state prisons department has identified 84 inmates, not serving life imprisonment, who will be set free.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has directed all state governments to remit sentences of prisoners meeting certain criteria in their respective states. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said that the 84 inmates who have been identified including four women inmates, fall under the criteria set by the MHA.  Of the 84, 81 inmates have completed two-thirds of their term. “We will finalise the names and the list within the next 15 days’’ he said. These inmates will be released on August 15, 2022. In the second and the third phases, more prisoners will be released on January 26, 2023 and August 15, 2023.

MHA issues guidelines on releasing prisoners

As per the guidelines, women and transgender convicts who are 50 years and above and who have completed 50 per cent of their sentence, male convicts of 60 years and above who have completed 50 per cent of their term, physically challenged inmates with 70 per cent disability or more and who have completed 50 per cent of their sentence, terminally-ill convicts, inmates who have completed their sentence but are still in jail due to non-payment of fine, and young inmates aged between 18 and 21 years with no criminal involvement and who have completed 50 per cent of their sentence are eligible.

Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Mohan said, “Normally every year, on Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26), inmates serving life imprisonment for murder charges are released on the basis of their good conduct. This time, as the country is celebrating 75 years of Independence, the MHA has decided on special remission for prisoners, falling under non-life imprisonment category, to be released. Some might have done smaller offences, but serving long imprisonment. Our intention is to release convicts with good conduct and make them lead normal life”.

Not eligible under special remission

Convict on death row and convict serving life imprisonment
Inmates convicted for dowry deaths
Inmates involved in terrorist activities
Inmates convicted for counterfeiting currency notes and for money laundering
Inmates convicted for offence of rape, human trafficking and POCSO cases
Inmates convicted for corruption.

Courtesy: Indian Express