CIC asks Tihar to make public details of prisoners released on SC directions

NEW DELHI: The central information commission has directed Tihar Jail to put details of prisoners who are to be released after a recent Supreme Court order in the public domain.
Information commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu asked Tihar authorities to place details of all such under-trials and prisoners in public domain as part of mandatory disclosure clause under the Right to Information Act."The policy of releasing prisoners being a new one, the commission directs the respondent to place in public domain all details of persons authorized to be released from prisons under its custody as per the Supreme Court order," he said.
The SC on September 5 had ordered release of all under-trial prisoners who have spent half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offences they are charged with, bringing much needed relief to poor people who are languishing in jails as they are not able to pay sureties and bail bond to get out of jail. It is estimated that out of around 3.81 lakh prisoners across the country, about 2.54 lakh, are under-trials. In many cases, the accused have spent more time in jail than the actual sentence which might be awarded to him in case of conviction.
In response to a plea by activist Venkatesh Nayak, the commission directed the Tihar authorities to make public complete text of latest version of prison manual along with rules, regulations and guidelines.
The commission said public authorities should not only make public such details as mandated under the RTI act but also keep them updated as part of their responsibility and directed Tihar authorities to place such information on the web site.