PATNA: The martyred IAS officer G Krishnaiah's wife may move to Patna High Court against the Bihar government's decision to amend prison rules for the early release of jailed gangster-turned-politician Ananad Mohan.
Former IPS officer Amitabh Kumar Das said that he had discussed with Krishnaiah's wife Uma Devi in this connection. Uma Devi might file a petition in the High Court against the state government’s decision, he added. G Krishnaiah, a 1985-batch IAS officer, was a native of Andhra Pradesh.
“We have already written to the governor in this regard. It is unfortunate that Bihar IAS Officers' Association did not object to the state government's decision to amend the Bihar Jail Manual 2012 for an early release of a person who was involved in the murder of an IAS officer in cold blood,” the retired IPS
officer added.
Presently, Anand Mohan, former Sheohar MP, is serving his life sentence in Saharsa district jail after he was found guilty of instigating a mob to shoot at and lynch the IAS officer in December 1994. Krishnaiah, then the Gopalganj district magistrate in Bihar, was murdered on the outskirts of Muzaffarpur while returning to Gopalganj after attending an official meeting in Patna.
Earlier, the "murderer of a government servant on duty" category of prisoners was not eligible to get the benefit of remission of their sentences. But the state government deleted the category itself by amending the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012 with the intention to ensure the early release of Anand Mohan, a prominent Rajput leader of the Kosi region.
Anand Mohan has already completed 14 years of jail term. After the amendment of the jail manual, he will be treated as a normal prisoner and can be set free from jail. He is currently out on parole to attend the ring ceremony of his son Chetan Anand, an RJD MLA from Sheohar. He has been given three times parole during the last six months.
Former IPS officer Das said that the sentences of a rape convict, a terror convict and one convicted for murdering a public servant could not be commuted.
Meanwhile, the Bihar government has initiated the process of releasing prisoners from jails. Prisoners whose sentences could be commuted would first be identified at the district level. Later, all these proposals
would be sent to a screening committee before they are forwarded to the law department for its consent. After the consent, the district administration would be asked to release prisoners.
Meanwhile, Patna High Court advocate Rakesh Kumar Pandey said that the state government's decision to delete the provision could be challenged in the High Court. It may be considered for legal scrutiny, he added.