The convicts who were released due to the situation of Covid-19 pandemic under the orders of the High-Powered Committee will now be readmitted to the respective jails. For this, the jail authorities have been directed to ensure re-admission of the convicts according to the criteria set by the High Powered Committee and also to ensure that the readmission of the convicts is based on the duration of their imprisonment from February 23, 2021.Giving information in this regard, a spokesman of Legal Services Authority said that under the orders of the High Powered Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Justice, Justice Rajan Gupta, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh and Executive Chairman, Haryana State Legal Services Authority, due to Covid-19 pandemic, 2,580 convicts were released. Now a meeting of the High-Powered Committee regarding the permission of readmission of convicts was held in Narnaul today.
He informed that the jail authorities and health officials have been directed to coordinate with each other to follow all the protocols during the entry of convicts into jails.
It was informed in the meeting that the parole/bail was being granted/extended to the convicts/under trials after duly taking into consideration the Covid-19 situation in order to avoid risk of infection inside the jails.
In view of the current prevailing situation, the Committee has decided to start re-admission of convicts released on parole under the recommendations of the High-Powered Committee in nine phases. In the meeting, it has further been decided that the prisoners who were released on parole/furlough from February 1, 2021 onwards, shall surrender on expiry of the period of parole/furlough granted to them by the competent authorities.