New Delhi, Apr 8 (PTI) Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday released the schedule for the quarterly meetings of the under trial review committees (UTRCs ) in the present year, a release said.
An undertrial review committee, set up in every district, deliberates and recommends the release of under trial prisoners and convicts who have undergone their sentence or are entitled to be released from jail due to bail or remission granted to them.
“The meetings are scheduled on April 15, July 15 and October 16. This initiative is in furtherance of several directives of the Supreme Court for conducting periodic reviews of the detention of all prisoners,” the statement from NALSA said.
Justice Khanna emphasised the need to increase awareness among the lawyers about the various categories of prisoners eligible for review, timely filing of bail applications and recourse to appellate remedy in cases where bail applications were rejected, the release said.
Ruing the fact that the prison population of India increased substantially in the last decade and there has been a considerable rise in the percentage and duration of custody of under trial prisoners, the top court judge said the UTRCs now have a more pressing role to play, it added.
According to the release, Justice Khanna observed that in the last five years, the UTRCs’ recommendations had resulted in the release of around 1.6 lakh prisoners across the country.
“He also observed that during the two special campaigns of NALSA in the years 2022 and 2023, around 50,000 prisoners were released from prisons and these figures are a testament to the seminal role played by the UTRCs,” it said.
Santosh Snehi Mann, member secretary, NALSA, in her address, reiterated the need to enhance the reach and impact of UTRCs, the release said. PTI MNR MNR KSS KSS
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