Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan on Thursday appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to release 37 Muslim life convicts lodged in the State’s prisons for more than 25 years.
Addressing a press conference organised by the 25 Aandu Aayul Siraivaasigal Viduthalai Kootamaipu (Federation for the Release of Life Convicts in Prison for 25 Years) in Chennai, he contended it was not just the Muslim community, but all democratic forces were in favour of releasing these men to help them lead a reformed life.
According to him, the Justice N. Authinathan constituted to look into the premature release of life convicts is believed to have made recommendations in favour of the release of these 37 men.
Recalling the State government’s announcement in 2021 that 700 life convicts would be released on humanitarian grounds based on their conduct, Mr. Thirumavalavan said they were being released gradually now. With some expected to be released on September 15 as part of late Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai’s birth anniversary, he said the federation wanted to appeal to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to include the 37 Muslim prisoners as well.
Claiming the Tamil Nadu government was in principle in favour of their release, he expressed confidence that the release would happen soon. He said it was understandable that the government wanted to release them without providing any room for opposition. There seemed to be no legal barriers or political opposition for their release. Even AIADMK, the Opposition party, has passed a resolution at its recent conference in favour of their release, he pointed out.
Majority of these 37 persons were convicts in the bomb blasts and communal clashes in Coimbatore in 1997. S.M. Hidayatullah, one of the coordinators of the federation and a vice president in Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, said around 20 of them were not involved in any explosives-related cases. When the live convicts in the assassination of former Chief Minister Rajiv Gandhi and those involved in grave crimes in Gujarat [Bilkis Bano case] were released, why cannot these men be released, he asked.
