Vishwajit Khavanekar, 41, has moved the Bombay High Court contending that he has stayed behind bars much longer than he should have. But as things stand, he says, that even after serving over 14 years in prison, the state government is yet to categorise his offence as eligible for premature release.
Peeved by the situation of these convicts, justices SB Mhase and Amjad Sayed on Wednesday directed the state government to prepare a circular stating the procedure for premature release of convicts within two weeks. They also demanded a submission of a list of convicts in the state who have completed 14 years in prison, but haven’t been categorised yet.
Every life convict has to be categorised by the government depending on the nature of his offence. While some convicts can be released after serving 14 years, others — such as the one’s convicted for dowry killings — can be released after serving 22 years in prison.
The court also said that the red-tapism involved in granting furlough to prisoners has to be avoided and everything should be handled at the level of the jail superintendent.
Khavanekar’s advocate Madhav Jamdar told the court that at the Yerwada prison, there are at least 13 cases of convicts who are yet to be categorised. Some of them have spent as many as 28 years (with remissions) in the prison, Jamdar said.
Khavanekar, formerly a peon in the Bombay Port Trust, was convicted in November 1996 for killing his wife. As of date, he has spent 22 years and 10 months in prison (with remissions). His contention is that he falls under the category 2 (a) and should be released after 20 years of imprisonment. He has, therefore, urged the court to order his release immediately.
