By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha DGP (Prison) Santosh Kumar Upadhyay has said that near about 3,481 undertrial prisoners and convicts were released on bail and parole respectively, in its bid to decongest jails across the State.
“We have (temporarily) released 3,481 under-trial prisoners and convicts. They were allowed to go home following a thorough judicial process,” he said.
Those involved in cases inviting a maximum punishment of 10 years were give priority, Upadhyay said.Similarly, the ones that have already served at least five years” sentence were considered for parole.New prisoners were being placed under quarantine for 14 days before allowing them to share jail cells with other inmates, he stated.
“All NGO activities in the jails have also been suspended for the time being. This apart, steps have also been taken for arranging ”e-mulakats” (e-meetings) between the inmates and their family members,” Upadhyay said, adding that jail officials, including cooks, have been told to maintain hygiene on prison premises.
