Amid Coronavirus outbreak, Maharashtra releases 2,713 inmates on bail

File photo of Arthur Road jail.

The Maharashtra government released 2,713 inmates on bail till Thursday after taking cognisance of the court order. According to jail sources, many prisoners have been on a hunger strike. Inmates at Arthur Road, Thane, Kalyan, Yerwada, Pune, Nagpur and Kolhapur jails have participated in the strike.

Of 36,000 prisoners, only 8,500 have been sentenced, while the remaining are undertrial. Authorities said that social distancing in jails is not possible, as the prisons are overcrowded so they have decided to bail those who can sentenced to less than seven years.

He said, after this, prisoners in Maharashtra's jails, whose punishment is not more than 10 years, have gone on hunger strike and demanded they, too, be released on bail.

Prisoner IG Deepak Pandey told mid-day, "We have talked about the rules and regulation set by the government to the prisoners who are on strike and told them that the reports have been sent, on the basis of which, the courts will decide their bail." He said they have also warned prisoners who are on the strike and will take necessary action against them.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates