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UP govt frees 150 prisoners from 40 jails
SINCE JANUARY Around 599 poor prisoners, who failed to pay penalty amount, released from different jails in state
SINCE JANUARY Around 599 poor prisoners, who failed to pay penalty amount, released from different jails in state
As many as 150 prisoners, from 40 different jails across UP, walked free on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Wednesday.
Those released by the state government on the day were inmates who had completed their jail terms but were still languishing in prisons as they failed to deposit the penalty imposed on them, said officials.
The state government released at least 599 poor prisoners from different jails across the state on four occasions this year.
Director-general, prison administration and reforms services department, Anand Kumar said a few NGOs paid the prisoners’ penalties. The release of prisoners would help decrease the number of inmates in prisons, which are already overcrowded, he added.
The DG said chief minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier issued directions to identify prisoners who were languishing in jails even after completing their terms due to failure to deposit fine imposed on them. Different NGOs had been roped in for depositing such prisoners’ fines, he added.
The DG said the prisoners were released from 40 jails including district jails of Ghaizabad, Rampur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Bijnor, Aligarh, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Kanpur, Gautambuddhnagar, Sultanpur, Meerut, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Mirzapur, Baghpat, Maharajganj, Hardoi, Moradabad, Bareilly, Rae Bareli, Orai, Balrampur, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Fatehpur, Gonda, Chitrakoot, Sonebhadra, Etawah, Barabanki, Badaun, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Pilibhit, Unnao, Mau, Mahoba and Deoband sub-jail as well as Naini Central Jail, Prayagraj.
Similarly, 131 prisoners were released from different jails on September 5 -- the birth anniversary of the second President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Besides, 73 inmates from 29 district and central jails were released on Independence Day (August 15) while around 245 prisoners of Central Jail in Bareilly were released on the 70th Republic Day earlier this year.
