VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has approved the guidelines for the release of prisoners on bail to protect the inmates from the Covid-19 pandemic.Following directives from the Supreme Court, a committee with High Court Justices, home secretary and prisons department DG was formed to study the conditions in prisons and release of prisoners in view of the Covid pandemic. The recommendations of the Committee were approved by Chief Justice AK Goswami recently and the same were forwarded to the division bench of Justice C Praveen Kumar and Justice K Lalitha.
The bench issued orders for the release of prisoners and said the orders would be in force for the next eight weeks. The bench said that prisoners who were sentenced for seven years or lesser period and undertrial prisoners shall be released on interim bail. Prisoners, who were convicted for second time offence, those who are convicted in POCSO and rape cases shall not be released on bail.
While releasing the prisoners on bail, the authorities concerned shall take an undertaking from the prisoners that they will be in home quarantine for the 14 days after their release. If any prisoner violates the undertaking, their bail should be cancelled. All necessary Covid guidelines should be implemented in case of prisoners, who intend to remain in the prison fearing that they might contract the virus if they are released and go outside, the bench said.