Supreme Court to issue orders over the release of prisoners detained at Foreigners Detention Centres in Assam

In the view of Coronavirus outbreak across the globe, the Supreme Court on Monday has ordered that the detainees at detention centres in Assam who have been completed more than two years jail term be released upon providing one surety. A Supreme Court bench comprising chief justice SA Bobde, LN Rao and MM Shantanagoudar has taken up the issue and stated that "We would pass orders in this regard today." It also reduced the bond of Rs. 1 lakh imposed for the release of detainees in a suo moto petition filed about conditions of children protection times across the country.

Upon the petition was filed by Raju Bala Das to release the detainees who served the jail term more than two years citing the risk of COVID-19 infection amidst the overcrowded situations in detention centres, the court has inquired about the requisites to release the prisoners in this crisis of coronavirus pandemic.

The senior advocate Colin Gonsalves argued submitted that the detainees at Assam and detention centre must be released to which the bench inquired into the feasibility of releasing the prisoners expressing the concern over the most of the prisoners being foreigners as there may be a chance of absconding.

However, Gonsalves argued that the detainees are not foreigners and stated that they have been living in India for five decades having agricultural land. As per the Union Minister Nityanand Rai, there are six detention centres in Assam in which 802 persons are under detention.

It is known the fact that the Supreme Court on March 23, 2020, had directed all states and Union Territories to set up high-level committees to determine the class of prisoners who could be released on parole for four to six weeks to avoid overcrowding in prisons in the wake of COVID pandemic.