A total of 52 convicts including 17 women in Mysuru Central prison walked free on Monday following a decision taken by the State Government to release them for good conduct.
While the men released on Monday had completed more than 14 years including the period of remission, women had completed 10 years with remission. They were among the 284 prisoners released from different prisons across the State.
The jail term of a convict will be reduced by six days for every month under the rules of remission if she or he shows good conduct, said Divyashree, Superintendent of Mysuru Central Prison.
The prisoners, who had been serving life terms, paid the fine amount levied on them by the court at the time of conviction before leaving the Mysuru Central Prison premises. “More than Rs. 2 lakh had been collected towards fine from the prisoners,” she added.
Satyanarayana, who was among the prisoners released on Monday, said he had such a bond with his fellow inmates that he was feeling very sad to leave them behind.
Minister for Public Works H.C. Mahadevappa, who is also the Minister in-charge of Mysuru district, called upon the released prisoners to advise others against committing crime. “You should advice others from taking the law into their own hands,” he said.
Presiding over a programme arranged in the jail premises, Mr. Mahadevappa hoped the released convicts will be able to eke out a living with the help of the skills like carpentry, tailoring, bakery etc. they had learnt during their stay in the prison.
Meanwhile, member of the Mysuru Jail Advisory Board P.V. Nanjaraj Urs referred to the case of Shireen Taj, an ex-convict released by the Mysuru Central Prison for good conduct during Republic Day, and said the released prisoners faced social ostracization. “She was in the jail seeking readmission within a day after her release as her family members refused to take her back,” he said.
Hence, he urged the authorities to take necessary steps to provide loans from State-owned financial institutions to help these ex-convicts set up small business.
Also, Prof Urs made out a case for the Government to deduct a small portion of the convicts’ earnings in the prison, add a matching grant and save the funds in an account on the lines of Provident Fund so that the money comes in handy for the convicts after their release from prison.
