EXPRESS IMPACT: Prison board to meet soon.

Prison Board to Meet Soon

Posted on Jun 10, 2015 in Tamil Nadu

J Shanmugha Sundaram

VELLORE: Following a report published in the Express (‘Jailbirds Trapped as Panel Sleeps’, May 15), the prison administration of the Vellore Central Prison for Men has sought a report on around 20 convicts sentenced for life and who have completed a minimum of 14 years in prison from the Probation Officers (PO) to consider their eligibility for premature release. The Board, will in all likelihood, meet at the end of this month.

The premature release of eligible convicts, however, will depend on the outcome of the case pending before the five member Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court that had issued an order in July 2014 barring all State governments from exercising their remission power to release life convicts in light of the Tamil Nadu Government’s attempt to release the seven convicts connected with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The Supreme Court case awaits a hearing on June 15.

A senior prison official said that the Superintendent of the Prison C Karuppanan dispatched letters a week ago to Probation Officers seeking reports on convicts who could be considered eligible for premature release in an attempt to revive the moribund Prison Advisory Board.

Prison administration will recieve reports from POs, reports from the Collectors of the respective districts that the inmates hail from and a report from the local Station Head Officer (Inspector of Police).

The reports, will be presented before Prison Advisory Board, comprising Sessions Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Superintendent of the Prison, Regional Probation Officer and a non-official member appointed by the government with the District Collector (Vellore) chairing the Board.

The official said that the Board will send its recommendations to the IG of Prisons, who in turn, will forward it to the Home Department. The Governor of the State will be the final authority deciding whether to release convicts, deemed eligible, prematurely.

The Express story highlighted the fact that despite the mandatory requirement under Section 341 (2) of TN Prison Rules, 1983, of the Board to convene a meet  once  in six months,  however, the Board had not met for four years