SC directs prisoners released during pandemic to surrender in 15 days

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered all accused and convicted prisoners who were released from prisons on emergency parole to free up prisons due to the COVID-19 pandemic to surrender to the relevant authorities within 15 days.

This was ordered by a bench comprising Justice MR Shah and Justice CT Ravikumar while hearing the suo-motu case. The court further said that those prisoners who have been granted emergency bail during the COVID-19 must surrender can apply for regular bail or other relief such as suspension of sentence from the competent court as per statutory provisions.

The Supreme Court set up a high-powered committee to identify parole-eligible prisoners, mostly those convicted of heinous crimes, who were paroled in various states in 2020 and 2021 during the first and second waves of COVID-19. pandemic in an effort to free up prisons and minimize the threat of pandemics within prisons.

"All prisoners and under-trial convicts who have been released on emergency parole/interim bail on the recommendation of the High Power Committee in accordance with the orders issued by this court must surrender to the jail authorities concerned within 15 days," the court said. he said in his turn.

As directed by the apex court, the high-powered committee in the states consisted of the chairman of the state legal services committee, the principal secretary (home/prisons) and the director general of prisons, and they were tasked with identifying the prisoners who could be released. on emergency parole to unblock prisons in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Supreme Court issued a series of directions to unblock jails, taking note of the surge in COVID-19 cases during the first and second waves of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.