For KIND Attention
Medha Patkar moves SC for interim release of prisoners charged under Special Acts amid COVID-19; and challenged the Bombay HC verdict declined to entertain their prayer.
Surprisingly the High Court order which Medha Patkar n NGO National Alliance of People's Movements challenging in SC is issued based on report recommendations of High-Powered Committee which held that these directions would not apply to the prisoners who are accused of offences under the Special Acts or of serious economic offences.
So are these So-called Social Workers are interested to get release the accused of offences under the Special Acts or of serious economic offences.
Very sad state.
To whom they want to use Interim Parole due to COVID-19, to take out of JAIL ???
The news on net is as below -
News from. BAR &. BENCH
By Debayan Ray - Sep 13, 2020, 4.27 pm
Medha Patkar moves SC for interim release of prisoners charged under Special Acts amid COVID-19; Bombay HC verdict which declined to entertain the prayer, challenged.
The plea states that out of 28,642 prisoners to be released, only 10,467 prisoners are released till date, due to the additional conditions imposed by the Maharashtra High Powered Committee.
A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court for the interim release of prisoners charged under Special Acts amid the COVID-19 pandemic after the Bombay High Court declined to entertain this prayer.
Medha Patkar and her organization, National Alliance of People's Movements, along with social activist Meera Sadanand Kamath have moved the Supreme Court challenging the August 5 judgment of the Bombay High Court whereby the High Court had upheld the State's classification of prisoners who were to be released on emergency parole in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
The appeal filed by Advocate on Record Vipin Nair and drawn by Satish B Talekar recounts that in pursuance of the March 23 order of the top Court, where all States were directed to constitute a High Powered Committee for the release of prisoners on interim bail or emergency parole after the rapid rise of COVID-19, the Maharashtra State High Powered Committee (HPC) was constituted.
The Committee had directed that all persons who are accused or convicted of offences punishable with imprisonment of 7 years or less shall be released on interim bail or emergency parole as the case may be.
However, the High-Powered Committee held that these directions would not apply to the prisoners who are accused of offences under the Special Acts or of serious economic offences.
This decision of the HPC to exclude prisoners charged under Special Acts from being considered for such interim release forms the basis of challenge in the plea by Patkar.
The High-Powered Committee had also directed the jail authorities to favourably consider the release of the convicts who are undergoing imprisonment for offences punishable with less than 7 years imprisonment, on emergency parole.
The High-Powered Committee, however, excluded all such convicted prisoners who are undergoing punishment under the special Acts from the scope of its directions.
