To curb the spread of Covid-19 in overcrowded Indian jails, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered probation boards to reconvene and consider the early release of eligible prisoners. It relied on its May 7 order for the release of prisoners serving light sentences on the grounds of right to life.
An application filed by lawyer Sachin Yadav drew the court’s attention to the fact that many such prisoners were languishing in prison as these boards had not convened during the pandemic.
A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose felt it appropriate to direct the boards to continue working and consider remission pleas of prisoners entitled for premature release under the CrPC.
Yadav was represented by advocate Shoeb Alam, who referred to a May 7 order of the top court aimed at decongesting prisons during the pandemic that said prisoners charged with non-heinous crimes be granted interim bail or parole for 90 days.
“Though there is no mention of release of prisoners entitled to premature release under Section 432 and 433A of CrPC, it is directed that the competent authority — probation boards shall continue to proceed with the release of those prisoners who are entitled for premature release,” the bench said.