Telangana: 213 inmates released from 13 prisons after remission

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government on Wednesday allowed the early release of as many as 213 prisoners, including 35 women, who had been incarcerated in various jails across the state for an extended period of time.

Out of the 213 inmates who were freed, 61 were from Cherlapally Central Prison, 27 from Chanchalguda Prison, 20 from Warangal Central Jail, 31 from Prisons Agricultural Colony in Cherlapally, 35 from Special Prison for Women in Hyderabad, 15 from Nizamabad Central Prison, seven from Adilabad district jail, one from Sangareddy Central Prison, two from Mahabubabad district jail, four from Nalgonda district jail, seven from Karimnagar district jail, four from Khammam district jail, and three from Asifabad special sub jail.

Following applications from the families made to the Telangana Chief Minister during the Praja Palana program, the convicts were freed. Prior to their release, these inmates received guidance from psychologist Jasthi Rajesh and motivational speaker Akella Raghavendra on how to live a fulfilling life after release.

Eight female prisoners were given sewing machines by the Telangana Prisons department, while 67 prisoners were given work. Several prisoners attended Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) Study Center for higher study as part of their reformation, the officials said.

A policy decision has been made by the State Government to offer special remission to life and non-life sentenced inmates who have been found guilty of breaking laws pertaining to subjects over which the state has executive authority. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy responded positively and ordered the officials to examine the chances of the early release of prisoners based on the guidelines set by the Union and State governments.

Senior officers scrutinised the applications and placed the details of the eligible prisoners for release before the High Level Committee. The High Level Committee sent the list of prisoners to the Cabinet for approval. The Cabinet headed by Revanth Reddy approved the names and granted remission to the prisoners. As the Governor CP Radhakrishnan gave his consent to the list, the state government issued orders granting remission to the prisoners on Tuesday .

According to the orders, 213 prisoners will be released from Cherlapally Jail on Wednesday. Of these, 205 are sentenced to life imprisonment and eight others are sentenced to lesser term. All of them are already provided skill development training in various professions in the jail. They were also given counselling to reintegrate into the society through good.

Following their release, the inmates must appear before the relevant police station and district probation officer once every three months until the remaining portion of their sentence has been served. In the event that a released prisoner commits a crime, their granted remission will be cancelled, leading to their re-arrest.