Maharashtra: 11,500 to be out on temporary bail soon

PUNE: The prisons department is anticipating the release of over 11,500 prisoners on bail in days to come to de-congest jails across the state in view of the Covid-19 spread.
“De-congesting prisons as per the recommendation of the Supreme Court-mandated High Power Committee (HPC), setting up temporary jails for screening undertrials before they are taken into the main jail premises after 14-day quarantine and ensuring apt medical care is part of our strategy to deal with the nCoV situation,” additional director general of prisons Sunil Ramanand said.

“Already, 7,347 prisoners have been released on temporary bail after the HPC recommendations on March 25 and May 11, respectively. Another 2,281 prisoners were released on emergency parole as per the state’s order of May 8. This has reduced the state’s jail population to 27,916 as on May 31,” he said, adding that 11,527 bail applications were pending before various courts in the state and were likely to be settled in days to come. “There is no proposal yet to release ailing prisoners on bail/parole,” he said.
“So far, we have commissioned 30 temporary jails across 23 districts for screening suspects referred by courts to judicial custody in jail at the end of their police custody remand,” Ramanand said.
He said, “As of now, a total of 1,305 inmates, including 54 women, are lodged in temporary jails across the state. This also includes 152 men and 13 women at the SC Girl’s Hostel facility in Yerawada in the city. Other two temporary jails are at hostels of Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute and KK Mangal lawns.”
Ramanand said a prisoner released on bail or parole had to periodically report to police station near his/her residence. “The courts while granting interim bail to the prisoner imposes certain conditions. The prisoners are released after they furnish sureties,” he added.