The prisons department had alerted the Andhra Pradesh government about 10-15 lifers, convicted in serious offence, before they were granted remission on Independence Day. Each of them were involved in pre-meditated crimes like murder, rape, dacoity, robbery and extortion.
The across-the-board release of 1050 prisoners, who served a minimum of seven years, saw dangerous criminals go free. A self-confessed terrorirst Mujib Ahmed's background was especially brought to the notice of the government.
Ahmed, who was convicted for murdering additional SP Krishna Prasad in 1992, was released from the Visakhapatnam jail after serving only seven years of his life-term in jail.
A committee comprising the principal secretary (home), director-general of police, additional director general (law and order) and a legal representative from the CB-CID merely cleared the release order of all convicts who met the remission criteria, irrespective of what crime they had been convicted for.
While Ahmed's release has kicked up a controversy, a lifer who had been convicted in the killing of ACP Sattaiah at Chatrinaka during the Old City communal riots, more than a decade ago, was also released from the Rajahmundry jail.
Though the criteria laid down by
the previous government in 2002 was stringent, the present government preferred
to follow the 1997 guidelines which facilitated released of more prisoners,
including those who had been sentenced in faction feuds in Rayalaseema.