Govt to release 245 life convicts

After the Supreme Court had restored the discretion of the State Governments to release the life convicts, Dispur has decided to release about 245 life convicts from different jails in Assam. A State Level Committee on Remission (SLCR) to vet the proposals for releasing these prisoners, who have spent 14 years or more in the jail. Majority of the convicts considered under this particular decision are from the six central jails located in Guwahati, Nagaon, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Silchar. Some of the convicts from these jails have spent even nearly 20 years in prison and are awaiting release. Home Commissioner LS Changsan said, “We have verified most of the records at the office level and the data has been simplified into a comprehensive tabular format for analysis by the committee.” He also added, “In addition to other matters, aspects like period in prison beyond term, age, terminal illness and conduct would also be considered within the decision.