A meeting of Council of Ministers on Thursday decided to recommend amnesty to the inmates, who were jailed for crimes other than the 13 listed heinous crimes and have already served 50 per cent of their jail terms.
"The cabinet has recommended 541 names to the president for amnesty," said Minister for General Administration Lal Babu Pandit after the cabinet meeting on Thursday.The Ministry of Home Affairs had asked the Department of Prison Management to recommend names of inmates, who have already served 50 percent of their jail terms but were not sentenced for nine heinous crimes listed in provision 29 of the existing Prison Regulation as well as organized crimes, hostage taking and kidnapping, child molestation and fraud cases.
The amnesty would be declared on Friday on the occasion of the Republic Day.
Though the government had introduced work-procedure for withdrawing criminal cases last year and listed 23 heinous crimes that could not be withdrawn, the government has softened its stance.
"The devastating April 25 earthquake has damaged jails and some of the inmates died in the quake. The damaged structures cannot be repaired immediately and the security of inmates has become a serious concern as aftershocks are continuing and the rainy season is about to begin soon," said the home ministry in its circular to the Department of Prison Management.
"Sentences to the inmates convicted of crimes listed in the work procedure could not be altered or reduced but in this difficult situation, the ministry asks to the government to recommend the names of inmates, other than those sentenced for crimes listed in the provision 29 of the Prison Regulation as well as organized crimes, hostage taking and kidnapping, child molestation and fraud cases, if they have shown good conduct and already served 50 percent of their jail terms," added the circular .
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