Lockdown: 44 Goa Central jail prisoners granted parole so far

Panaji, May 17 () The Goa Central Jail has grantedparole to 44 prisoners, including four women, since thelockdown came into force in the coastal state, an officialsaid on Sunday.

This was done following the government orders todecongest jails in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, aprison department official said.

"So far, 44 prisoners - 40 men and four women - havebeen granted parole by the prison department," he said.

Before the move to grant them parole was implemented,the central jail, located at Colvale in North Goa district,had total 486 prisoners.

These included 93 men and four women serving short orlong-term sentences after conviction for various offences, and364 men and 25 women undertrials, the official said.

The parole will run coterminous to the lockdownperiod, which means the prisoners granted temporary releasewill stay out of jail till the lockdown continues, he added.

The Supreme Court in March directed all states andUnion Territories to constitute high-level committees toconsider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners andundertrials for offences entailing up to seven-year jail termto decongest prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

The top court had said overcrowding of prisons is amatter of serious concern, particularly in the present contextof COVID-19. RPSGK GK