PUDUCHERRY, June 24 — NGOs from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are fighting together for the premature release of prisoners in the UT. Puducherry-based Federation for People’s Rights and People’s Union for Human Rights from Chennai have been requesting the Puducherry government to release the life convicts who have completed seven years of prison term in view of the Tamil conference at Coimbatore, for which the TN government had announced that 500 life convicts would be released prematurely.

“A GO was issued in 1999 and another in 2003 by the National Human Rights Commission to the State Chief Secretaries of every state giving guidelines guidelines, to release a life-convict, who has completed seven years, or a prisoner who is aged 65 and has completed seven years of his prison term. Based on this, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have released several prisoners,” said A Marx, head of the Puducherry chapter of People’s Union for Human Rights. He listed that in Tamil Nadu, 472 prisoners were released in 2006 and 190 prisoners in 2007 (life convicts, who have completed 10 years in prison), 1409 prisoners in 2008 and 10 in 2009 (for completing seven years of prison term).

G Sugumaran, Federation for People’s Rights, explained that in Puducherry so far 11 prisoners were released. This includes the pre-mature release of 11 prisoners who have completed 14 years. Later, another life convict who had put in the same number of years was also released.

“Puducherry Central Prison has about 78 life convicts, out of which 43 prisoners have completed seven years. We are only demanding that the prisoners be released as per the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission, which would consider their conduct and release them accordingly. Also, according to the report filed by the then IG Shyam Sundar, of the 1409 prisoners released in 2008 in Tamil Nadu, only seven have been jailed again and that too for petty offences,” he said.

The New Indian express / 24.06.2010

Human Rights Activists demanded the Puducherry Government to release the life prisoners who have completed 7 years imprisonment following the Tamilnadu Government.

On 22.06.2010 at 11 am at Puducherry Press Club, Peoples Union for Human Rights (PUHR) Tamilnadu Chapter President Prof A. Marx, Federation for People’s Rights (FPR) Secretary Mr. G. Sugumaran, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Puducherry Chapter President Mr. R. Abimannan, Village Panchayat Presidents Coordinating Federation Vice-Convener Mr. G.A. Jagannathan jointly met the press.

In the press conference Prof A. Marx told:

on the occasion of the World Classical Tamil Conference Tamilnadu Government announced to release various categories of 500 life prisoners who have completed 10 years imprisonment. We demand the Puducherry Government to release the life prisoners who have completed 7 years imprisonment following the Tamilnadu Government.

The Tamilnadu Government in the event of Anna Birth day released 472 and 190 life prisoners who have completed 10 years of imprisonment during 2006 and 2007 respectively. The government has also released 1405 and 10 life prisoners who have completed 7 years imprisonment during 2008, and  2009 respectively.

The Puducherry Government from 1999 to 2009 released only 11 life prisoners who have completed 14 years imprisonment in which 8 lodged in Puducherry Central Prison and 3 in Tamilnadu Prisons. In Puducherry Jail out of 78 life prisoners 43 have been serving for more than 7 years.

The Constitution of India Article 72 sanctioned power to the President of India and Article 161 to the State Governors and Section 435 of Criminal Procedure Code to the state Governments to take decision on the pre mature release of life convicts.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in 1999 and 2003 sent a guidelines and procedure to all State Chief Secretaries and Union Territory Administrators to release the life convicts who have completed 7 years imprisonment.

Since, Puducherry is a Union Territory, the power to pre mature release of life convicts is vested with the Central government and the Territorial administration should approach the Centre and take steps to release the life prisoners.

All the life convicts in Puducherry jail are not indulged in murder. But, only a few prisoners have committed the murder crime. We have been pressing the Government for long time to fix cell phone jammer apparatus in the prison campus. The Government never took any action. The police was not willing for this, since they are tracing the crime through the cell phone communication of the prisoners.  If the police took stern action, the crime perpetuated from inside the prison can be prevented.

There are lot of norms and procedures for the premature release of the life prisoners. Merely the prisoners who have completed 7 years imprisonment are not released abruptly.   The data released by the Tamilnadu Prison IG Shyam Sundar reveals that out of 1405 prisoners released in 2008 in the event of Anna centenary celebration only 7 have returned to jail by involving only in minor crimes. So, the prisoners who have been released from jail will commit crime is unacceptable.

We accept that some organization indulge in illegal activities in the name of Human Rights. But we are not accepting the Tamilnadu Government’s G.O. restraining the organisations to use Human Rights in their organisation names.

We condemn the Tamilnadu police who have arrested the activists pasted posters opposing the World classical Tamil Conference. If there is right to support the conference, there should be right to oppose it also. One should not forget that the right to dissent is one of the fundamental principles of democracy. The Thirunelveli police have taken custody of the persons who have sent sms opposing the conference and they were threatened in the police stations. We demand the Tamilnadu Government to release the detained and arrested persons withdrawing the cases against them.

Alleging widespreaded corruption in the appointment of contract teachers here, the Federation for People’s Rights today demanded a CBI probe into it.

In a statement here today, Federation Secretary G Sugumaran alleged the marks obtained by several candidates were altered to accommodate those ”close” to authorities.

Mr Sugumaran cited an example of Pazhaniyammal whose marks were altered as 44.1203 from 44.6203, originally posted in the website, to accommodate one Kumudam by altering her score to 44.1817 from 43.7817.

When Pazhaniyammal approached the Director of Education, she was informed that a wrong marksheet was posted on the website and all of a sudden, the new marklist was posted.

Mr Sugumaran also said several organisations pointed out to the alleged corruption to the Director of Education.

Instead of correcting it, appointment orders were issued to the selected candidates based on the marks.

He demanded the appointment orders issued be scrapped and a re-examination conducted.

Action should be taken against the Director of Education and officials involved, failing which, the federation would organise agitation with the support of the people.

UNI / 16.06.2010