COVID-19: Calcutta HC directs constitution of 3-member panel to examine bail, parole for prisoners

Calcutta High Court, while hearing a PIL on overcrowding in jails, on Tuesday ordered to constitute a 3-member committee to examine how many prisoners can be released on bail and how many can get parole amid a growing coronavirus threat.

The three-member committee will comprise of State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) Chairman Justice Dipankar Datta, Director General of Prisons and Principal Secretary.

The committee, which will examine the situation of the correctional homes, will examine how many undertrial prisoners can be released on bail and how many who have served 10 years in prison can get parole. The committee is expected to file its report before the court on March 31.

The Supreme Court had, on Monday, asked all state governments to release undertrial prisoners, who are facing charges attracting less than seven years imprisonment, to reduce overcrowding of jails amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.