Odisha Prison Department launches 'Mukti Abhiyan', aims to release 60 eligible prisoners

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 19 (ANI): The Odisha Prison Department announced the launch of 'Mukti Abhiyan - Mission 60' on Prison Foundation Day. The campaign aims to release 60 eligible prisoners from jail across the state within 60 days (by February 10, 2025), an official said.
Additional Director General (DG) (Prisons) Amitabh Thakur said that individuals serving life imprisonment who have completed at least 14 years of their sentence may qualify for release. This process is undertaken by the State Sentence Review Board as per its criteria.
"The DG has called upon all the officers of the Prison Department to start 'Mukti Abhiyan' - Mission 60 on Prison Foundation Day on December 10, under which we will try to release at least 60 eligible people from jail in the coming 60 days i.e. by February 10. The State Sentence Review Board works in this - according to it there are different criteria for people serving life imprisonment - if someone has served at least 14 years of sentence, then the jail superintendent sends a report, on which the district officials give their opinion," Thakur told ANI.
The Additional DG (Prisons) informed that many prisoners who have already served 14 years are granted parole on multiple occasions, but are not released due to adverse reports. He added that the officials would give a position report and send recommendations for such people to the State Sentence Review Board for their release.
"...Then after the opinion of the Prison Department, the report goes to the State Sentence Review Board. It has been seen for a long time that people who have been in jail for 14 years have come out on parole many times, but they are not released due to adverse reports... By giving a positive report, we will recommend those people to the State Sentence Review Board for release..." Thakur said. (ANI)