Life convict prematurely released: Govt pleader tells court

The Madras High Court was informed by the government pleader that a life convict was prematurely released by prison authorities here.
Convict Veeramani was released after the government was pulled up by the Division bench, which had already ordered his premature release.
He was denied release for the reason that when he was out on a parole, he reported back 12 hours after the time fixed by prison authorities.
Veeramani was in jail since 1996 after being convicted in a murder case. His sister had filed a Haebeas Corpus Petition, saying he had completed 12 years of actual imprisonment, but his name was still not included in the list of 1,400 odd prisoners released through a September 11, 2008 Government Order for the reason that he reached jail 12 hours behind his parole schedule.

The Division bench, comprising Justices S Rajeswaran and P N Prakash after holding that delayed return to the jail was too minor a prison offence, had directed prison authorities on November 26, 2013 to immediately release him.
Since he was not released, another HCP was filed in the Madras High Court by the sister, contending that a contempt petition may be filed for non-implementation of the court order.

The government submitted that Veeramani's case is pending before it along with six others.
Taking serious note of this statement the Division bench pulled it up, saying, "When an order was passed by this court where is the question of second opinion from the authorities. What is the necessity for an officer of the government to consider and pass orders on this?"

The judges made it clear that unless he was released by February 12, the Home Secretary has to appear before it.
When the matter came up for further hearing yesterday, the Government Pleader informed the Bench that the court order had been complied with and the convict was released.