DG Prisons making endeavour to hold Sentence Review Board meetings: HC told

New Delhi: The Director General (Prisons) of the Delhi government has informed the Delhi High Court about endeavours being made for holding meetings of the Sentence Review Board (SRB) every three months, after a petition sought contempt action against the authorities for alleged defiance of the directions of the court.

Taking on record the statement of the counsel for DG (Prisons), Justice Jasmeet Singh directed that a responsible officer of the prison department shall file an affidavit to that effect before the next date of hearing. The court listed the matter for further hearing on December 12.

The plea by advocate Amit Sahni alleged the respondent has continuously violated the directions issued by a division bench of the high court on October 21, 2019 by not convening meetings of the SRB every quarter of each year.

The SRB was formed to review and make recommendations about premature release of prisoners in appropriate cases. During the hearing, the counsel for the authorities submitted that every endeavour was being made for holding the meetings of the SRB.

The division bench, in its 2019 order, had said, ‘In view of the aforesaid limited submissions, we direct the respondent authority to convene the meeting of the SRB periodically under the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018 for reviewing the sentences awarded to the convicts.’

‘However, the decision will be taken by the SRB in accordance with law, rules, regulations and govt policy applicable to facts of each case which comes before it for reviewing sentence imposed on the convict.’ The order was passed on a PIL by Sahni who had sought direction to the Delhi government and the Director General of Prisons to convene SRB meetings every three months in compliance with rules.