Hyderabad: After a long wait, Telangana Governor CP Radhakrishnan issued his consent to the state government on the decision to approve the premature release of 231 convicted prisoners, including 212 life convicts, under special remission.
The proposal was forwarded to the state government by the Telangana Prisons Department after shortlisting eligible prisoners.
The previous BRS government in Telangana had initiated a process to release 231 prisoners, but had to stall the move after the then Governor, Tamilisai Soundararajan sought clarifications.
After the Congress government took over power, the process was re-initiated by sending a fresh request to the current Governor.
A government-appointed committee, which includes the home secretary and the director general of prisons, reviewed the cases and cleared 231 prisoners as eligible for remission while declaring 9 convicts ineligible.
The Governor, who is, empowered to grant remission under Article 161 of the Indian Constitution, has now issued his consent.
Some of the life convicts have served for more than 14 years, while others are terminally ill or suffer from old age-related problems.
The prisoners have also been considered for good conduct displayed while serving their sentence. The release of these prisoners will allow them to fully reintegrate into society.
However, it is important to note that the Telangana High Court has ruled that remission is not an indefeasible right of convicts, and they cannot seek premature release solely on the ground that they have completed a certain number of years in prison.
The court has also directed the state government to quickly process the remission petitions of life convicts and consider the principles outlined in the Raj Kumar alias Bittu case, so that eligible life convicts are released by August 15, 2023.
After the formation of Telangana state, this is the third time that the premature release of prisoners has been granted.
