SC refuses to stay AP Govt's order to release prisoners

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) The Supreme Court today refused to stay the order of Andhra Pradesh Government to release about 1500 prisoners involved in henious crimes on the Independence day, tomorrow.

A bench comprising Justices B N Agarwal, Tarun Chatterjee and D K Jain, however, decided to hear the petition filed by advocate R Chandrashekar Reddy, challenging the government order, on August 16.

The petitioner had challenged the order, dated August 7, 2007, on the ground that it had passed the same ignoring the sentiments of the victims and their family members, which would send wrong signals to would be criminals about the effectiveness of criminal justice system in the country.

The Andhra Pradesh government had decided to release 1500 prisoners out of 6500, to commemorate 150 years of first war of Independence i.e. the mutiny of 1857, which started from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

The petitioner had prayed for stay of the impunged order on the ground that if the prisoners were released on Independence day, the petition might become infructuous.

The court, however, directed the matter to be listed for hearing on August 16, in view of the urgency in the case.

According to the petitioner, it was a clear case of flagrant voilation of the Article 14 (Right to equality before law) and Article 21 (Right to life) of the Constitution.

Those to be released include Gouru Venkat Reddy, husband of Congress MLA Gouru Charita Reddy. He was granted pardon by the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh Sushil Kumar Shinde but the court had also set aside his release order.

The petition was based on a report published in leading English daily Hindu, on August 9, 2007. The respondents were the government of Andhra Pradesh and Director General and Inspector General of prison, Andhra Pradesh.

UNI