NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Friday asked the Kerala government not to insist on the surrender of prisoners already out on interim bail or parole in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai, however, said it was not inclined to release more prisoners on the ground of COVID-19 from the prisons.
The apex court said it would review the COVID-19 situation on the next date and decide the issue of surrender.
"Let the other people who have been released by you, don't insist them on coming back for another one week or 10 days. We will list it after 10 days," the bench said while posting the matter for hearing on February 25.
The bench had earlier asked the state counsel to instruct the authorities not to take coercive action against persons who are out on bail and parole.
It was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the state's order asking prisoners, who were released by the government on parole or interim bail in the wake of the pandemic, to surrender back to jails.
One of the petitioners, Dolphy, who was released from the prison on parole, has rushed to the apex court after being asked to surrender back to jail despite the poor pandemic situation in the state.
Earlier, the apex court had ordered de-congestion of prisons in the wake of Covid 19 and had directed the states and UTs to constitute a High Powered Committee to determine which class of prisoners can be released on parole or interim bail.