New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking its intervention for the release of elderly and terminally ill convicted prisoners in the country.

"The petition highlights the dire conditions faced by such prisoners and calls for the implementation of compassionate release of the identified prisoners in line with constitutional and human rights obligations," the NALSA said in a press note.

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It said the petition highlighted the alarming rise in the number of elderly and infirm prisoners languishing in jails, often without adequate medical care or access to dignified living conditions.

Prolonged incarceration of such people violated their fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution as well as international human rights principles recognised by the United Nations, the NALSA said.

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It said the authority had launched a special campaign for the elderly and terminally-ill prisoners to address the plight of the vulnerable inmates.

"The campaign, initiated under the esteemed guidance of the Executive Chairman, NALSA, Justice B R Gavai, was launched on December 10, 2024, on the event of Human Rights Day," the press note said.

It said the key objectives of the campaign included identifying and facilitating the release of elderly and terminally-ill prisoners through legal aid and judicial intervention.

The plea has sought the apex court's intervention to release persons identified by the NALSA under the special campaign, subject to the satisfaction of the respective trial courts.

The NALSA said the plea has referred to Prison Statistics India 2022, which stated that 20.8 per cent of convicts (27,690 prisoners) and 10.4 per cent of undertrials (44,955 prisoners) were aged 50 years and above.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)