The state Secretariat had sent the list of prisoners to Raj Bhavan a while ago but the file was not getting cleared by the Governor’s office.
The office had also forwarded a note to the state Secretariat seeking clarifications on the criteria for which it has decided to release the 71 prisoners.
However, Raj Bhavan insiders said that on Friday night, the Governor agreed to clear the matter.
A consent note has also been forwarded to the state Secretariat.
Political observers feel that this development is a positive signal about the possible improvement in ties between the Raj Bhavan and state Secretariat, which had been turning bitter in the recent past, especially on the appointment of interim vice-chancellors for West Bengal universities.
In August, a war or words erupted between the two side over the state government’s proposal for the release of 87 prisoners on the occasion of Independence Day.
At that time, the Governor’s office had objected to some of the inmates, especially 16 who were foreign nationals.
Due to the widespread controversies, the prisoners were not released.
A particular protocol has to be followed while preparing the list of prisoners to be released.
Under the protocol, the first recommendation comes from the state correctional services department on the basis of the conduct of the inmates.
Other departments namely state home affairs, law and judicial departments then evaluate the list of recommendations sent by the correctional services department.
Only after that the final list is prepared and sent to the Governor for clearance.
–Ajit Weekly News
src/ksk
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