A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday asking it to consider releasing prisoners above the age of 50 years on "emergency parole or interim bail" amid the menace of coronavirus.
The PIL was filed by lawyer and activist Amit Sahni.
The petition asked the top court to consider releasing prisoners above the age of 50 years, who have ailments and pre-existing medical conditions (like high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, cancer or diabetes) on "emergency parole or interim bail".
The Supreme Court had last week asked all State governments to release undertrial prisoners, who are facing charges attracting less than seven years imprisonment, to reduce overcrowding of jails amid the ongoing coronavirus scare.
The country is under a 21-day lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has claimed the lives of 29 people and infected a total of 1071 people as on Monday morning.