Bhubaneswar, August 31, 2018: The State Government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to examine cases of eligible prisoners for special remission and release from jails on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Law Department Principal Secretary and ADG (Prisons) have been selected as the member and Member Secretary of the committee respectively.
“In pursuance to the guidelines issued by Government of India, the State Government do hereby constitute a State-level Committee to examine cases of eligible prisoners for special remission and release from jails on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi,” said a notification issued by the Home Department.
The Government will place the recommendations of the committee before the Governor for consideration and approval under Article 161 of the Constitution. After the approval, the prisoners will be released on the designated dates.
Notably, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July approved special remission of prisoners to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
As per the decision, women convicts aged 55 years and above and male convicts of 60 years or more, who have completed half of their sentence, and a few other categories of prisoners in jails across the country will be released under an amnesty scheme during the year-long celebrations to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi beginning October 2.
However, prisoners convicted for crimes such as dowry death, rape, human trafficking and under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Terrorism and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA),
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), and Prevention of Corruption Act, among others, will not be released under the scheme.
As per the plan, the prisoners will be considered for special remission and released in three phases starting from this Gandhi Jayanti to next year Gandhi Jayanti. In the first phase, the prisoners will be released on October 2, in the second phase on April 10, 2019, the anniversary of Champaran satyagrah, and in the third phase on October 2, next year.
