Human Rights Forum, a citizens’ collective of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, has drawn government’s attention to the next phase of prisoners’ release, the list of which is due on March 31.

In a letter to the Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, HRF of Telangana has appreciated the ‘humane and progressive’ gesture by the government in the forthcoming release of 102 life convicts, including six woman prisoners, in accordance with the guidelines of the Supreme Court. The list of prisoners has been forwarded to the Chief Minister for approval.

The letter has cited the G.O. 126 which mandates that the list of eligible life convicts be prepared and placed before the designated review committee once every four months, and said the list of 102 convicts was from the Phase-III of last year.

The Phase-I list for the current year ought to have already commenced, the letter said and requested the Chief Minister to ensure that preparation and review of subsequent lists are carried out strictly in accordance with the timelines prescribed in the G.O. Requesting to expedite the release of life convicts in the approved list, the letter signed by S. Jeevan Kumar, and S. Thirupathaiah also urged the Chief Minister to consider release of the next set of eligible life convicts on the occasion of the Independence Day.