The Hindu : Front Page : State silent on Gouru’s release

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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State silent on Gouru’s release

Special Correspondent

Identifying convicts for release may take time
Supreme Court to hear plea against State tomorrow

HYDERABAD: Even as the ground is being readied for the release of 1,200 prisoners to mark the Independence Day, the fate of Gouru Venkata Reddy, husband of Congress MLA from Nandikotkur Charita Reddy, is still uncertain.

Home Minister K. Jana Reddy evaded a specific reply when asked whether Venkata Reddy was among those being released on Wednesday.

The process of identifying convicts eligible under the new guidelines is still on and, therefore, might take some more time.

Release in 10 days

As such, only a few prisoners will be released symbolically on the Independence Day and the release of all other eligible prisoners will be made in 10 days thereafter.

Petition filed

In the backdrop of a petition filed in the Supreme Court seeking scrapping of orders issued by the Government enabling release of prisoners, the Home Minister conferred with Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday and briefed him on the steps taken to go ahead with the release of eligible prisoners by remitting their sentence on the occasion of Independence Day.

Speaking to reporters, he said the delay might also be due to representations made by the CPI, CPI (M), BJP, BSP and CPI-ML (New Democracy) to apply old guidelines, considered to be liberal, for release of the prisoners.

New guidelines

The political parties considered the new guidelines to be rigid.

Assuring that the political parties’ plea would be examined, he said 1,200 of 5,300 convicts serving sentences might benefit by the new guidelines.

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