Over 92,000 undertrial prisoners released across India
By IANSThursday, May 27, 2010
NEW DELHI - Over 92,000 prisoners undergoing trial have been released till April and another 110,000 are expected to be freed by end of July under a programme to decongest jails across the country, the law ministry said.
There were an estimated 300,000 people, facing trial for various offences, languishing in various jails at the beginning of this year, a statement by ministry of law and justice said adding that such prisoners account for over 70 percent of the jail population.
Over two-thirds of these 300,000 prisoners are likely to be freed from various jails across the country by July-end this year.
“At the instance of Union Minister for Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily, a National Mission for Delivery of Justice and Legal Reforms was started to reduce the number of cases of undertrials and to reduce congestion in jails,” said the statement issued late Wednesday night.
It said a “mission-mode programme” was launched Jan 26, 2010, resulting in either grant of bail or discharge of over 92,000 undertrial prisoners till April this year.
The maximum number of undertrial prisoners (29,009) were released in Uttar Pradesh, said the statement.
The figures for some other states were Andhra Pradesh (9,116), Delhi (8,701), Orissa (8,566), Maharashtra (7,252), Punjab (3,219), Gujarat (3,101), Haryana (2,169), Kerala (2,334) and Karnataka (1,081).
