The State Government on Thursday issued orders for the release of former IG K Lakshmana, who was serving a life-term after being convicted in a case of fake encounter in which Naxalite leader A Varghese was shot dead, from jail.
The decision was based on the recommendation of the DGP Prisons in this regard.
The order has been issued based on the Kerala Prisons Rules 1958 section 537, 538 and 539 which permit the release of prisoners who have crossed the age of 75 and whose health is in a declining state.
Along with Lakshmana, who has turned 79 years, three others - Kuruppuswamy (82), Gopinathan (82) and Sreedharan (81), were also released.
Lakshmana was convicted in October 2010 by the CBI special court. Naxalite leader A Varghese was killed 40 years ago in Wayanad.
The police version that Varghese died in an encounter turned out to be false as former police constable P Ramachandran Nair came out with a startling revelation in 1998 that it was he who shot Varghese on the orders of the then Superintendent of Police, Vijayan, and the then Deputy Superintendent of Police, Lakshmana.
Ramachandran Nair died in November 2006.