Shri A. Revanth Reddy
Chief Minister of Telangana
Hyderabad
Dear Sir,
Sub: Request to declare amnesty to the eligible prisoners in the Prisons of Telangana, as a mark of humane gesture by the new Congress Government in Telangana-Reg
HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM conveys warm congratulations to the Congress party on victory in the elections and for taking the responsibility or the State.
As Chief Minister of a new political dispensation in Telangana State, our Forum looks forward to your government respecting and protecting the rights of the people of the State.
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) is a non-political, non-funded citizens voluntary body. Our objective is to defend and enlarge constituvionalls guarantced and internationally recognized rights of the people.
As you may be aware, a change in Government ushers in the healthy practice of declaring amnesty to select persons languishing in prisons as convicts under trials.
Over the last ten years, the earlier TRS government has released prisoners with good conduct only twice that is in the years 2016 and 2020. Then TRS Government released those who completed seven years of actual sentence with three more years of remission for their good behaviour. The guidelines were very rigid. It laid down five points criteria to quality for release and exempted 19 categories of prisoners as disqualilied. The exempted criteria include prisoners’ indiscipline, those who committed offences ugainst women, children, NDPS Act and public servants were some of the categories declared ineligible. It is possible that Nagaiah is still languishing in jail as his offence is arbitrarily interpreted as committed against a child. The Government stated that such prisoners will be released after completing 18 to 24 years of incarceration.
In the past in the in the year 2004, under the aegis of the then Chief Minister, Late Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, the government released 611 convicts from the prisons of united Andhra Pradesh.
It has been the practice with several governments to release prisoners on special occasions like Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanthi. Such prisoners include those serving short-term sentences and also those who have shown exemplary compliance with institutional disciplinary regulations. This is done following granting of a special pardon as per Government of India’s guidelines and a relevant order of the State Government.
According to a statement by the Home Minister in the Rajya Sabha in December 2022, parliament session, there are 6,114 prisoners (including 263 women prisoners) in 37 prisons of Telangana.
Our Forum sought information of the Life Convicts who completed 10 years and above actual sentence in Telangana Prisons. According to the information sought through RTI, there are 276 prisoners, who have completed more than 10 years of actual sentence (without remissions) in 14 prisons in the State. Amongst these 6 women prisoners have completed 13 years of actual sentence. Of these convicts, 9 convicts completed 25 years of actual sentence and 57 convicts completed 20 years of actual sentence.
We desire the government to release all Life Convicts who have completed 14 years of sentence including remission period, with no reference to the criminal sections.
We request the Government to review the issue of the prisoners undergoing substantive sentence with sympathy and release them prematurely. Those who are sentenced under Cr.PC 302 and completed 7 years actual sentence and 3 years remission period be released.
We wish to bring to the notice of the Government that the guide lines prescribed in G.O.Ms.No.196, Dt.13-08-2004 were very humane and generous. This Government order was issued in 2004 during the Congress rule. The guide lines prescribed in this G.O are very flexible and would help many prisoners to come out and join their families and would attain the status of honourable member of the society. We request the Government to examine the provisions in this Government Order. (G.O.Ms.No.189 Home (prisons.C) Department Dt.7.8.2004).
We earnestly appeal to you Sir, to initiate this humane action and declare amnesty to the eligible prisoners as a humanitarian gesture of the Congress Government.
Thanking you
Yours Sincerely,
S. Jeevan Kumar
Coordination Committee member
Athram Bhujanaga Rao
State President
Vemana Vasantha Lakshmi
Coordination Committee member
Dr.S.Thirupataiah
State General Secretary
Copy to: 3
- Chief Secretary, Govt. of Telangana
- Principal Secretary to the CM, Telangana
- Principal Secretary, Home Depagtment, Govt. of Telangana
- I.G of Prisons & Correctional services, Telangana
- I.G of Police, Telangana