New Delhi: More than 600 prisoners were released from jails across India this week under a ‘special remission’ plan as part of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations, officials said Friday.
With the release of 611 prisoners, October 2, the total number of prisoners freed as part of the plan has gone up to 2,035 in the last one year.
Prisoners, including politicians, who have been convicted in cases of murder, rape or corruption, were not released under the special remission.
The Union Cabinet meeting July 18, 2018 chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided that special remission to specific category of prisoners should be given and they be released from prisons in three phases —October 2, 2018, April 6, 2019 and October 2, 2019.
In the first phase, October 2 last year, states and Union Territories (UTs) released 919 prisoners. In the second phase, April 6 this year, 505 prisoners were released and finally Wednesday, in the third phase, 611 were freed.
Women convicts aged 55 and above and male convicts of 60 years or more, who have completed half of their sentence, and a few other categories of prisoners came under the amnesty scheme.
Transgender convicts of 55 years of age and above, who have completed half of their actual sentence period, without counting the period of general remission earned by them, physically-challenged or disabled convicts with 70 per cent disability and more, duly certified by a medical board, who have completed half of their actual sentence period were eligible for release.
However, the special remission was not granted to persons convicted for an offence for which the sentence is death penalty or where death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment.
PTI