CHENNAI: A prison adalat, conducted at the Central Prison-II in the Puzhal Central Prison complex on Friday, ordered the release of 35 prisoners.

The IX Metropolitan Magistrate, P. Benjamin Joseph, disposed of 42 out of the 103 cases listed for hearing.

Most of the accused pleaded guilty and were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from two months to five months.

Invoking Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Magistrate set off the period of detention undergone by the accused, said V. Kannadasan, Special Public Prosecutor for Human Rights Court.

No charge sheets

The remaining 61 cases could not be heard, because the police had not filed charge sheets. This is the highest number of cases cleared at a single sitting of the adalat in the Puzhal complex.

In the adalat for cases from Kancheepuram district, the judicial magistrate of Alandur, K. Ramanathan, disposed of seven cases.

Only seven cases were listed, as no case bundle was received from Madurantagam and Chengalpattu. The magistrate also extended the judicial custody of 90 other prisoners.

Written requests

However, inmates of the women's prison in the Puzhal complex could not benefit from the adalat, as none of their cases was listed, though many prisoners made written requests, expressing their willingness to plead guilty and receive minor sentences for petty offences, instead of waiting for their cases to be heard by regular courts.

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