The decision was taken after the Delhi government told the High Court it has decided to decongest the prison to check the spread of coronavirus.
Tihar Jail authorities on Monday said they have decided to release about 3,000 prisoners to decongest the prison to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus infections as the number of cases across the country jumped to 467.
Tihar Prisons Directo General said the inmates will be released in the next 3-4 days. While 1500 of them are convicts who will be released on parole or furlough other half are undertrials who will be released on interim bail.
The decision was taken after the Delhi government told the High Court it has decided to decongest the prison to check the spread of coronavirus by providing convicts with the options of special parole and furlough.
A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad was told that the Arvind Kejriwal government was going to amend its prison rules to provide the options of special parole and furlough.
In a submission before the bench, Delhi government's additional standing counsel Anuj Aggarwal said a notification regarding amendments to the prison rules would be issued within a day.
The reply from the AAP government was filed during the hearing on a plea seeking decongestion of the prisons in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 467 cases have been reported in the country so far out of which 424 are active cases and eight deaths. Delhi has reported 30 cases including a death.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced strict measures to check the spread of the virus including a citywide lockdown and sealing of the border. At a joint press conference with Lt Governor Anil Baijal, Kejriwal said that the lockdown will continue till midnight on March 31.
No public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will remain sealed during the lockdown, but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue. Only 25% of the DTC buses will run to transport people associated with essential services.
Dairies, milk plants, grocery shops, chemists and petrol pumps, ATMs, e-commerce services of essential items like food and medicines will remain open, Kejriwal said.
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