THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The election model code of conduct that came into force on Friday may cast a shadow over more than 1000 prisoners getting remission as per an announcement the government made last year.
Sources in the Home department said it received the list of possible beneficiaries of the remission scheme from prison authorities only recently. “As per a directive of the governor, the cabinet will have to look into each prisoner’s case and recommend remission, instead of granting a general remission,” a senior government official said.
However, prison department sources said the procedures could be initiated since the decision to grant general remission was taken by the cabinet in August last year. “The state government may only need to get the election commission’s consent,” said a prison official.
DC had earlier reported that Governor P Sathasivam had stalled the state cabinet’s decision in August to grant special remission ranging from one year to one month based on the term of conviction and directed that the government may identify the prisoners who may be benefitted from the proposed remission scheme and recommended remission on a case by case basis.
It was in connection with Independence day that the Cabinet on August 12 decided to grant remission of one year to those undergoing life-term, five months to those undergoing five year to ten years, four months to those undergoing two to five years, three months to those undergoing one to two years imprisonment, two months to those undergoing six months to one year and one month to those undergoing three to six months.
