The Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday directed the Home Secretary to file a status report by August 9 enunciating the steps taken by the State pursuant to a direction issued by the Supreme Court on September 8 last on premature release of prisoners with due regard to restrictions imposed under Section 433A of the Code of Criminal Procedure on powers of remission and commutation in certain cases.
Justices K.K. Sasidharan and G.R. Swaminathan issued the interim direction on a public interest litigation petition seeking constitution of advisory boards in all prisons in the State to consider the plea for premature release of male convicts who had crossed 65 years of age and female convicts aged above 55 years. Additional Government Pleader T.S. Mohammed Mohideen told the court that such boards had already been constituted.
However, referring to the apex court directive issued last year on the issue, the judges called for a status report on the issue. K.R. Raja, co-founder of Global Network for Equality (GNE), a social service organisation, had filed the present PIL petition on the ground that the absence of the advisory boards in all central prisons and special prisons for women was leading to prolonged incarceration of aged prisoners without any respite.