Haryana High Powered Committee Orders Re-admission Of 2,580 Convicts Released Earlier

On 11.02.2021, 12^th meeting of High Powered Committee was held under the Chairmanship of Mr. Justice Rajan Gupta, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Haryana State Legal Services Authority permitting re-admission of 2,580 convicts who were released under the orders of High Powered Committee (HPC). This meeting was attended by Shri Rajeev Arora, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Haryana, Home Department, Shri K. Selvaraj, IPS (Retd.), Director General of Prisons, Haryana and Shri Parmod Goyal, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Member Secretary, Haryana State Legal Services Authority.

The High Powered Committee (HPC) was constituted at State level under the directions of Supreme Court of India issued on 23.03.2020 in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No.1/2020-In RE: Contagion of COVID-19 in Prisons for release of convicts/undertrials on parole/interim bail.  

Since its constitution, the Committee has been granting/extending the parole/bail to the convicts/undertrials after duly taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation in order to avoid risk of infection inside the jails.   Now, considering the current prevailing situation, the Committee has decided to start re-admission of convicts released on parole under the recommendations of High Powered Committee in 09 phases. Jail authorities have been directed to ensure re-admission as per principles laid by High Powered Committee for readmitting the convicts and strictly ensure that convicts are readmitted on the basis of term of their imprisonment from 23.02.2021 onwards. Jail authorities and Health authorities have been directed to co-ordinate with each other and follow strict testing and quarantine protocol at the time of readmission of 2,580 convicts.

In the meeting, it has further been decided that the prisoners who were released on parole/furlough from 01.02.2021 onwards, shall surrender on expiry of period of parole/furlough granted to them by the competent authorities.

Due to COVID-19 infection, meeting of prisoners with their family members was suspended. Now, High Powered Committee has permitted re-start of 'Mulakaat' of prisoners with their family members from Monday to Friday in a week. Undertrials and convicts have also been allowed to meet their lawyers on every Saturday. Undertrials shall get the meeting with their family members twice in a month whereas convicts would be allowed to meet once in a month. Jail authorities have been directed to take all precautionary safeguards to avoid infection i.e. wearing of mask, sanitization of hands, social distancing etc. for conducting interview.

Further, the Committee has allowed the jail authorities to make transfers of prisoners from one jail to another only on security grounds or in view of COVID-19 issues.

Release of convicts/undertrials on parole/bail had resulted in decongestion of jails allowing jail authorities to mange COVID pandemic in efficient manner. No major cases of infection were reported in Haryana jails due to health protocol suggested and implemented under the orders of High Powered Committee.