Assam govt grants remission of prison sentences

Assam government today announced reducing jail sentences of certain convicted prisoners, except for those court-martialled, with their original jurisdiction in the state and awarded rigorous punishment by up to thirty days, ahead of Republic Day.
The Home and Political Department, in a notification, granted remission of sentences to different categories of prisoners for the periods lodged in the jails of Assam and outside.
The remission order will take effect tomorrow, it said.
The notification does not apply to those in respect of whom the sentence is inflicted for an offence against the order referred to in sub-section 6 of section 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, or is passed under any law relating to which the executive powers of Union extends, a government release said.

The scales of remission of sentences for different categories are specified as: prisoners with sentences above one year for 30 days, sentences above six months up to one year for 15 days, sentences above three months up to six months for 10 days and prisoners with sentences above one month up to three months for five days.
The remission granted under the order will not be admissible to categories of prisoners sentenced to simple imprisonment in lieu of fine, Foreigners Act, Passport Act, foreign national convicted under any Act, Section 3 to 10 of the Official Secret Act, 1923, prisoners convicted for offence against the state under Section 121 to 1331 of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Others excluded were prisoners sentenced under section 107/109 of CrPC, offences to which executive power of the Union extends, Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act, those convicted under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and rape charges, the notification said.