More than 6,000 prisoners in Punjab have been granted early release over the past five years after completing their education while incarcerated. According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Home Department, authorities have expressed dissatisfaction with the jail administration for not convening the Education Remission Committee meeting as required.
The department emphasized that the committee’s meeting must be held monthly to ensure the timely release of prisoners who have completed their education. A formal notice has been sent to the DIG Prisons Inspection, AIG Prisons Judicial, and AIG Prisons S&D regarding the matter. The spokesperson noted that the relevant officials failed to conduct the committee meeting for the past two months, leading to delays in the release of eligible prisoners. The Education Remission Committee decides monthly on sentence reductions for inmates who have completed various educational qualifications. Prisoners who complete their matriculation, intermediate, BA, or MA during imprisonment receive sentence reductions ranging from six to ten months. In addition, inmates who complete Quran translation or memorization courses are granted six months to two years of sentence remission. Those who complete vocational courses such as electrician, motor binding, or beautician training can receive up to one month of sentence reduction.
