COVID-19: In a bid to decongest, Punjab to release 6,000 prisoners from jails across state

CHANDIGARH: With a view to decongest state prisons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Punjab is going to release around 6,000 prisoners from all the jails across the state.

Disclosing this here on Thursday, jails minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said convicts will be released on parole for six weeks and undertrial prisoners on interim bail for the same period.

The minister said there were around 24,000 prisoners lodged in 24 jails across the state against an authorised capacity of 23,488.