Over 10,000 released in Uttar Pradesh on bail and parole on SC order

LUCKNOW: More than 10,000 undertrials and convicts in Uttar Pradesh have been released on bail and parole till Tuesday in compliance with Supreme Court’s May 8 directive to decongest overcrowded prisons in wake of the Covid surge.As many as 8,463 undertrials were released on interim bails, while 1,660 convicts were given 60-day parole. While Ghaziabad district jail has released a record 703 undertrials on bail, a maximum of 78 convicts are out on parole from Kanpur district prison. DG, prisons, Anand Kumar, said, currently 1.6 lakh inmates are still lodged in 71 prisons of the state. A high-powered committee has finalised parole of convicts lodged in different jails of the state. Prisoners given parole and bail have been provided with masks and pamphlets detailing ways to avoid infection.
A team of doctors conducted a thorough check-up on prisoners in every prison cell before letting them out. A report on each prisoner has been prepared and this will be checked when they return after three months, said prison officials. Jail officials also said, number of undertrials released on bail is likely to rise in the coming days.
In many jails, prisoners are refusing parole or bail, citing pandemic in their villages. Recently, two prisoners in Maharajganj district jail, Brihaspati, 31, and Kamlesh, 29, were serving a 7-year sentence for dowry murder refused parole. Jail officials say inmates are being counselled about the virus and are being given safety tips.
Last year, the state government had released as many as 15,000 prisoners, including convicts and undertrials after the first wave struck.