AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa has strongly opposed the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release 500 life convicts to mark the first World Classical Tamil Conference being held at Coimbatore.
In a statement issued here Friday, Jayalalithaa citing media reports said: "In order to prevent occurrence of crime in the society, law has provided life imprisonment. Freeing such prisoners prematurely is a crime, the high point of misuse of authority and encouraging murderers. Releasing the convicts would result in increase in the rate of murders and robbery.
"It is like the fence eating the crop. It is painful to note that the government which has to protect the law and order is itself resorting to such illegal acts," she added.
In 2008, the DMK government had set free 1,405 prisoners to mark the birth centenary of DMK founder C.N. Annadurai.