Altogether 109 under trial prisoners (UTPs) from 11 district jails and central jail in Dimapur have been released on parole as per the directive of the Supreme Court to decongest the prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
A release from the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority on Friday said the Nagaland government, in compliance with the apex court directive, constituted a high power committee (HPC).
The committee was formed on March 30 with Justice S. Serto, executive chairman, Nagaland State Legal Services Authority, and principal secretary (home) Abhijit Sinha and additional director general (prison) Renchamo P. Kikon to look into the issue.
Nagaland has the capacity to accommodate 1450 prisoners. However, at present there are 537 prisoners, inclusive of both UTPs and the convicts, in the state out of which 12 are females.
The HPC on April 1 decided that interim bail be granted to UTPs who are facing trial in a case which prescribes a maximum sentence of seven years or less or if an UTP has more than one case and he is on bail in all the cases, except the one for which he is being considered and the same prescribes punishment for seven years or less.
The HPC also directed that if any inmate, who is released under its recommendation, threatens, induces any witness or any person acquainted with the facts of the case or the victim of the case, he will be taken into custody immediately.
The committee further directed all the jail authorities to ensure social distancing of all the prisoners/UTPs inside the jails.
It said transfer of prisoners from one prison to another for routine reasons must not be resorted to except for decongestion purposes.
A directive was also given for creation of quarantine rooms/facilities where any prisoner exhibiting any symptom of Covid-19 can be immediately shifted.
The committee said prompt arrangements should be made for quickly shifting such sick prisoner to a nodal medical institution for further treatment.
Hand sanitizer: The state geology and mining department handed over 260 litres of hand sanitiser prepared by its laboratory to geology and mining minister V. Kashiho Sangtam and school education adviser K.T. Sukhalu on Thursday.
Sangtam was instrumental in providing 200 litres of chemicals to the department needed for making the hand sanitiser.