Ranchi, Feb 17 (IANS): A total of 37 prisoners serving life sentences in various jails of Jharkhand will be released. This decision was made during the meeting of the Jharkhand State Sentence Review Board held on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
In the meeting, cases related to the release of 103 prisoners serving life sentences were reviewed. After deliberation on each prisoner's file, a consensus was reached on the release of 37 prisoners.
“Consensus was reached on the release of 37 prisoners serving life imprisonment in Jharkhand jails. Make arrangements for income generation for the released prisoners so that their life runs smoothly. It is the responsibility of all of us to give them a positive direction by connecting them to the mainstream of society,” Hemant Soren said in a post on X on Monday.
The decision considered the court's rulings and the opinions of the Superintendent of Police, Jail Superintendent, and Probation Officer of the concerned districts.
CM Hemant Soren directed officials to verify the family background, and social, and economic status of the prisoners being released and create a plan to provide income opportunities for their livelihood.
He suggested connecting the released prisoners to skill development programs and schemes such as dairy farming, poultry farming, and animal husbandry.
The Chief Minister emphasised the moral responsibility of reintegrating the released prisoners into the mainstream of society.
The Inspector General of Prisons was instructed to keep a track record of the released prisoners, and the Superintendent of Police and other district officials were tasked with monitoring their activities continuously.
The Sentence Review Board meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Avinash Kumar, Principal Secretary-cum-Legal Advisor Nalin Kumar, Principal Secretary of Home, Prison and Disaster Management Department Vandana Dadel, Justice Commissioner of Ranchi Diwakar Pandey, DGP of Jharkhand Anurag Gupta, Inspector General of Prisons Jharkhand Sudarshan Prasad Mandal, and other officials.