"The judiciary is very strong in India rather than in that country. Please inform their High Commission that we (Indian courts) are releasing so many of their prisoners," Justice Markandeya Katju, heading the Bench which included Justice T S Thakur, observed.

The Supreme Court had during the past two years ordered the release of over two dozen Pakistani prisoners from Indian jails despite completing their sentence. The apex court passed the direction while granting eight weeks to the Centre to explain the position on the alleged incarceration of Indian prisioner Gopal Dass languishing in a Pakistani jail for the past 26 years.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the Bench that the Centre had gained consular access and was in the process of verifying the claim that Dass was languishing in jail even though he had completed the sentence.

The family of Dass, through counsel Arvind Sharma, had sought directions to the Centre to secure his release and complained that government was not taking any step to bring him back despite Pakistan government's decision to free him.