HRF Requests AP Government to Release Prisoners
The Chilakaluripeta bus burning case had occurred on March 8, 1993 involving a Super Express APSRTC bus. Two novice robbers had tried to rob the passengers by threatening to burn the bus with the petrol they had if the passengers did not hand them over their valuables.
Vijayawada: Human Rights Forum (HRF) has pleaded that Andhra Pradesh government release from jail S. Chalapathi Rao and G. Vijayavardhana Rao, who are convicted in the Chilakaluripeta bus burning case.
HRF general secretary Y. Rajesh and secretary G. Rohith recalled that the two have remained in jail for 32 years now. They drew attention of the state government to the judgment of the AP High Court in S. Swapna versus the State of Andhra Pradesh delivered on Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
The HRF representatives quoted the judgement ruling that prisoners shall be granted remission by following the remission policy that is in place on the day the prisoners are convicted, or granted reprieve by the Governor or the President.
Rajesh and Rohith said as of October 2021, there had been eight prisoners in AP who had completed more than 20 years of prison sentence. For various reasons, they have not been granted premature release. Among them, three have never been considered for premature release since their death sentence had been commuted to life imprisonment. These prisoners are S. Chalapathi Rao, G. Vijayavardhana Rao and M.T. Krishna Kutty.
Upholding a catena of judgments pertaining to the premature release of prisoners, the High Court had in its recent judgment held: “Needless to say, the application (of premature release) shall be applied according to the policy subsisting when the sentence of death passed against the prisoner, has been commuted to a sentence of imprisonment for life.”
The HRF representatives called on the state government to consider the applications of Chalapathi Rao and Vijayavardhana Rao for premature release in light of the April 9 judgment of the High Court. They said the grant of the much-needed reprieve will enable the two to rebuild their lives.
The Chilakaluripeta bus burning case had occurred on March 8, 1993 involving a Super Express APSRTC bus. Two novice robbers had tried to rob the passengers by threatening to burn the bus with the petrol they had if the passengers did not hand them over their valuables.
They even sprinkled the petrol when the driver smelled it and suddenly applied brakes. The passengers woke up and panicked. In the melee, the petrol caught fire, killing 23 passengers.