Members of the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK) on Monday petitioned Minister for Law, Courts, Prisons and Prevention of Corruption S. Regupathy demanding release of Muslim prisoners.
In its petition, the organisation said the State government’s announcement to release prisoners on former Chief Minister Annadurai birth anniversary had raised expectation among the families of those in prison.
There were several Muslim convicts in prisons across the State who the government had not released in the past 10 years though several courts had said that they were eligible for release. Many of those Muslims prisoners had spent their youth inside prison cells suffering without parole.
The TMMK said of those 20 prisoners had fit-for-release certificates based on their good conduct. The government should consider the release of such prisoners who had spent over 20 years in prison, it added.
