By IANS,
Kolkata : The West Bengal government would release 40 prisoners serving life terms who have completed 18 years behind bars, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced Tuesday.
“Our government has taken a policy decision to release 40 prisoners who are serving life sentences and have already completed 18 years in jail,” Banerjee told mediapersons at the state secretariat Writers’ Buildings.
The prisoners are housed in six correctional homes – in Alipore, Baharampore, Burdwan, Dum Dum, Jalpaiguri and Purulia.
Banerjee said a case-by-case review was done in the case of other prisoners.
The Banerjee government, which came to power last May, has released 30 of the 52 politcal prisoners in the state as per recommendations of a panel formed on the issue.
Banerjee said while the cases of 20 political prisoners were sub-judice, the central government has objected to the release of two others.