Jammu, March 12 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor (L-G), Manoj Sinha, on Wednesday, ordered remission of life imprisonment for three convicts sentenced under the sections of the old Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), 302, 34 and 201, officials said.
Officials added that the L-G has ordered remission for three convicts which has been notified by the J&K Home Department.
A notification issued by the J&K Home Department said that the remission has been granted under Section 473 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in accordance with Ministry of Home Affairs directives.
The order takes immediate effect, subject to strict conditions.
As per the notification, the released individuals must maintain peace, avoid unlawful activities, and refrain from intimidating the victims’ families.
They are also required to report to the police every six months and complete all legal formalities before their release.
Authorities have instructed local police to monitor their activities, warning that any violation will lead to the cancellation of their remission.
The convicts, Anil Singh of Jammu’s Shastri Nagar, Dev Raj of Chak Jaffray, Kana Chak, Jammu, and Girdhari Lal of Mangnar, Poonch, had served more than 14 to 16 years of their life sentences before being granted remission.
It must be mentioned that the old Penal laws enacted and put into operation by the colonial British Empire aimed at punishment and collection of revenue for the government by imposing monetary fines.
The three new laws replacing the both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc) are aimed at reform more than punishment or imposition of monetary penalties.
Community service by convicts is an important aspect of the new criminal laws.
It must also be mentioned that in addition to the IPC, the RPC enacted and enforced in the Maharajas’ rule was operative concomitantly in J&K.
Both these archaic criminal laws have been replaced and done away with.
–IANS
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