TN govt announces release of 67 lifers

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced the pre-mature release of 67 life convicts who have completed 10 years of imprisonment, in commemoration of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran and the move was welcomed by the prinicipal opposition DMK.

In the first phase, 67 convicts who have served 10 years, in prisons across the state, as on February 25 would be released, an official release said.

The decision had been announced by chief minister K Palaniswami during an MGR birth centenary event at Dindigul in December last.

In accordance with Article 161 of the Constitution, which empowers a Governor to grant pardons and to commute sentences and as per guidelines of the Supreme Court and High Courts on the issue of premature release, two Government Orders were issed.

The GOS, envisage guidelines for the release of prisoners, it added.

Welcoming the move, Leader of Opposition, M K Stalin, asked why the announcement was not made in the Assembly and if it was in keeping with the House tradition.

Law Minister C Ve Shan- mugam said the release of prisoners, being proposed by the government was a “continuing task,” indicating that was why an announcement in this regard was not made in the House.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit has to give sanction for the proposed release of prisoners, Shanmugam said adding a case by case review of convicts' including their criminal background was being done in keeping with the Supreme Court guidelines.

“Unlike the release of prisoners during your (DMK) regime (2006-11), now it is being done on a case by case basis as per Supreme Court guidelines,” he said.

In the Central prisons in the State, committees were set up to give recommendations for remission of sentence, he noted.

Prisoners were being evaluated for release on factors like the length of their detention (if it was 10 or 20 years) in prisons and if they faced serious ailments.

Founder of AIADMK and mentor of late J Jayalalithaa, M G Ramachandran (1917-1987) was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu between 1977 and 1987.

Tamil Nadu government celebrated his birth centenary year across the state.

The decision had been announced by chief minister K Palaniswami during an MGR birth centenary event at Dindigul in December last

NEW DELHI: Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of running an “anti-worker government”, leading trade union body AITUC on Monday said it will launch a 40-day nationwide campaign to amass people support to vote out the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters here, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) leader Amarjeet Kaur also alleged that “Modi has put the nation on sale” and his government does not believe in any dialogue with the unions. Piqued about the cancelation of dates of the National labour Conference, the annual tripartite meet which was to be held in february this year, the trade union leader alleged that the PMO had earlier agreed on dates for the conference but cancelled it as Modi was not ready to face the trade unions over the government's labour policy.

“... His government is anti-workers, which does not believe in any dialogue with unions, does not honour bipartite or tripartite mechanisms and considers labour laws and trade unions as hindrance to growth and development,” Kaur told reporters.

Kaur also alleged that the NDA government's ‘Ease of Business' is meant only to curtail workers' rights, which is being pursued by changing labour laws and simultaneously bringing four codes in place of 44 existing labour laws in practice. After its two-day working committee meet, the trade union has decided to organise a 40-day campaign from August 9 to September 18.