VIJAYAWADA: Family members of Saluri Chalapathi Rao, one of the convicts in the 1993 APSRTC bus fire case, have urged the State government to consider his parole and release, citing that he has served beyond the remission period.
A request letter has been sent to Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Kalyan, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, and the director general of prisons, seeking their intervention for Chalapathi Rao’s release.
At a press conference held in Vijayawada on Saturday, representatives of the Jeevitha Khaidhila Vidudhala Saadhana Samithi and legal counsel for Rao said the recently issued government order on April 17, which allows for special remission to life convicts, excluded those whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.
They argued that both Chalapathi Rao and co-accused G Vijayavardhan Rao, who have served over two decades in prison, should be considered for release on the grounds of good behaviour and humanitarian considerations.
They emphasised that neither is a habitual offender.
“Though the High Court had earlier directed the government to consider the mercy and parole petitions of the accused in the 1993 bus burning case, the latest GO does not mention prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life. Their conduct in prison and the length of incarceration deserve serious consideration,” the Samithi representatives said.
The case pertains to the tragic incident on March 8, 1993, when Chalapathi Rao and Vijayavardhan Rao set fire to an APSRTC bus travelling from Hyderabad to Chilakaluripet with the intent to rob passengers. The arson resulted in the deaths of 23 people.