Over a thousand Bangladesh nationals are detained in various jails across West Bengal even though their conviction period is over.
A Public Interest Litigation filed this week by MASUM, the human rights organisation, sought the intervention of the Calcutta High Court for their release and deportation.
In the petition, MASUM said foreign nationals lodged in jail after the expiry of the conviction period should be deported immediately. The detention of a person in jail thereafter was in violation of Supreme Court orders and a declaration by the United Nations. The Centre and the state government have failed to understand their responsibilities and the people have been deprived of their fundamental rights, the petition alleged.
According to a government document, 1,076 Bangladesh nationals, whose jail terms are over, are still lodged in various jails. The document cited particular examples where Bangladesh nationals have been confined in jail even though their conviction period was over in 2008 and 2009. There are 1,721 Bangladesh undertrials in jail, the documents said.
The petition sought an order to direct the Centre and the state government to produce the records of prisoners lodged in jail even after the expiry of their detention periods.
The High Court should direct the Centre and the state government to identify all those eligible for release. The petition urged the High Court to pass an order for the release of those prisoners detained illegally in jails.
The petition also urged the High Court to direct the Central government and state government to expedite the process of deportation of the foreign national lodged in jail whose conviction period was already over. The case is likely to come up for hearing next Friday. Biswanath Chaudhury, the jail minister, said the department was aware of the issue and has taken various steps to resolve this problem. "But I should not say anything more now, as the election has already been declared," he said.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Jail-term-over--but-Bangla-nationals-still-behind-bars/762046/
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