Around 40% of prisoners in Kerala are innocent – RTI reply
25 Nov, 2013
The Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services of Kerala had said at a meeting organized by a cultural organisation that 20% of the jail inmates in the state are not guilty. In this regard, an application was filed with the office of the DG, Prisons and Correctional Services under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get clarity on the DGP’s statement.
The reply to the application states that the DGP had quoted the figure quite in restraint and that the actual figure of innocent prisoners is around 40%. It said that total number of prison inmates in Kerala was 4,663 as of September, 2013 and out of this 1,632 are innocent. The reply also said that many innocent persons get jailed due to circumstantial evidences turning against them and many prisoners are innocent volunteers recruited by political parties and other groups to get imprisoned on behalf of the real culprits.
About the steps taken by the DGP to get the innocent inmates free of charge, the reply said that setting them free is the prerogative of the judiciary and DGP is not allowed to take decisions in this regard.