COVID-19: J&K govt constitutes committee to decongest jails

Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday constituted a high-powered committee to decide about the temporary release of convicts and under-trails to decongest jails across the Union Territory (UT) in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee comprises of executive chairman State Legal Services Authority, Principal Secretary Home and Director General Prisons shall consider the class/category of prisoners to be considered for parole and interim bail depending upon the nature of offence, number of years to which he/she has been sentenced or severity of offence with which he/she is charged.

An official privy to the development told DH that the period of parole and interim bail will also be decided by the committee which has been empowered to invite any other officer to participate in its proceedings.

As experts across the globe are advising social distancing to stop the spread of the deadly virus, Supreme Court had on March 23 directed states and UTs to decongest jails to ensure social distancing among the prisoners, while observing that overcrowding of prisons is a matter of serious concern.

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Following these orders, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh governments have already announced the release of over 10,000 prisoners in each State.

Meanwhile, amid coronavirus outbreak, J&K government revoked detention orders of 31 persons, who were languishing in different jails, under the controversial Public Safety Act.

However, sources said, the list doesn’t include any prominent separatist or mainstream leaders, detained under the PSA after the abrogation of Article 370 last August.

They said the government has also decided to release a number of PSA detainees lodged in jails outside J&K. “The proposal to release them has been put on hold due to nationwide lockdown announced by the Centre to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19. It is difficult to bring them back to J&K in the prevailing situation,” sources added.

Post abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, PSA detainees were also lodged in jails of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.”