Odisha jails asked to hasten premature release of convicts facing life-term
BHUBANESWAR: Murder convicts, facing life imprisonment, may not have to wait for months or years to see the remission of their sentence period on grounds of good conduct.
The state government has asked the prisons authorities to initiate the applications of convicts, who have completed minimum 14 years in jail, for consideration of their premature release within a month from the date of completion of the minimum sentence.
“We have set a one-month timeline for jails to process the applications. The home department has been asked to process the applications within two to three months. The aim is to ensure that the convicts are not harassed or deprived of their legal rights,” a senior law department official said.
The law department official further said the Supreme Court had last month expressed displeasure over the delayed remission of a convict in Chhattisgarh. The convict had completed the minimum sentence of 14 years in March 2017. However, his remission application was processed in September 2019 and approved by the government of Chhattisgarh in September last year. The convict was released a month after his remission was accepted.
Director general of police (prisons) Santosh Upadhyay said the applications of the convicts are being processed on time. “We have intimated the jail superintendents about the fresh government order. The process was affected owing to the Covid pandemic last year,” he added.
Officials said at least 30 convicts, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in murder cases, were set free after they had completed the minimum 14 years in jail, in the last two years. At present, 48 files of convicts, who have sought premature release, are pending for approval. The files are being reviewed by the state sentence review committee, headed by the home secretary. If the committee gives its green signal, the files would go to the chief minister’s office for approval. The final assent of sentence remission will come from the governor. The state government said legal assistance is being provided to convicts, who are not aware of the provision of seeking remission of the sentence.
According to the guidelines, the applications of convicts with excellent conduct are considered for remission. Apart from conduct inside the prisons, the compliance with the conditions of parole and recommendation of district collectors and SPs are required for consideration of the remission of the convicts. “The applications of dreaded convicts, who have committed gruesome murders or rape and murders, are not considered,” a jail official said.