The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Convicts’ release: Jana denies ‘motive’

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Friday, Aug 10, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Convicts’ release: Jana denies ‘motive’

Special Correspondent

‘New guidelines not aimed at release of Gouru Venkat Reddy’

HYDERABAD: Home Minister K. Jana Reddy has denied that fresh guidelines for release of convicts serving long jail-terms on remission of the sentence for good conduct and behaviour were formulated keeping in mind a particular individual like Gouru Venkat Reddy, husband of a Congress legislator G. Charita Reddy.

At a press conference here on Thursday, he said the guidelines were revised by incorporating the best points of the existing ones under which such release of convicts was made through years on the occasions like Republic Day, Independence-Day and Gandhi Jayanti.

He said the Government had, indeed, decided to allow the benefit now in response to a common representation made by all political parties, including CPI, CPI(M) and the Telugu Desam.

The Minister said release of convicts under the new guidelines would be more difficult as it was made subject to several conditions. Any convict seeking the release by way of remission of the sentence would have to fulfil these conditions.

Conditions

The conditions stipulated that the beneficiary would have to execute a bond for Rs. 25,000 and appear before the police station concerned once in three months regularly showing an account of good conduct and behaviour. If the beneficiary committed a serous offence again, he/she would have to come back to the jail to complete the original jail-term sentence in full. Those convicted under Section 120 (B) of the IPC were not eligible.

Mr. Reddy said some 1,200 convicts serving jail-term in various jails of the State might benefit from the guidelines. Their release would be made in three to four days after final review of the cases by the Home Department subject to the Government approval.

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