‘Occupancy in Karnataka prisons down to 95%’

State takes steps to prevent virus spread

24/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,BENGALURU

The average percentage of occupancy in prisons across Karnataka has been brought down to 95% from 110% by releasing 1,198 prisoners on temporary bail and parole, and shifting 575 prisoners from overcrowded prisons to less crowded ones for preventing spread of COVID-19, the State government told the High Court of Karnataka.

As many as 790 undertrial prisoners were released on temporary bail based on veracity of the charges against them on recommendation of a High Powered Committee (HPC), constituted as per the apex court’s guidelines to decongest prisons as a precaution. And 408 convict prisoners were released on parole, the government said in its statement.

It also said that 575 had been transferred from 12 of the overcrowded prisons to the six prisons having lesser number of prisoners, and an additional temporary living space to house 1,471 prisoners has been created since March 23.

Meanwhile, a special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice B.V. Nagarathna, taking note of measures taken to prevent COVID-19 in prisons, pointed out that the undertrial prisoners can still file pleas to exercise their right to seek bail from the jurisdictional court even if the HPC had not considered them for release on temporary bail.