Mumbai Arthur Road Jail: The decision doesn't include inmates who are accused. (Representational)
In a bid to decongest jails across the state amid coronavirus outbreak, the Maharashtra government has decided to give "temporary parole" to 17,000 inmates out of 35,000 lodged in different jails.
The decision was taken after over 150 inmates at Mumbai's Arthur Road jail were found to be COVID-19 positive.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said: "Around 185 inmates at Arthur road jail are infected with COVID-19 and their treatment is going on. The Maharashtra government has decided to give temporary parole to 17,000 inmates out of 35,000 so that they do not get infected with COVID-19 in jails and social distancing is maintained."
"Among those who will be released are 5,000 under trial inmates, 5,000 inmates who have been convicted for 7 years and around 9,000 inmates who have been convicted for more than 7 years. This doesn't include inmates who are accused/convicts in UAPA, MCOCA, PMLA or other stringent acts," he added.
The committee, which was constituted to give recommendations to decongest jails in Maharashtra, had recommended that around 17,000 inmates in Maharashtra jails (around 50 per cent of total inmates) can be released on interim bail.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)