Many aged prisoners who have been suffering for years in different jails of Bihar can look forward to freedom, thanks to the state's humanitarian concerns and its bid to decongest overcrowded prisons.
At least 700 prisoners over 60 years of age imprisoned for petty crimes will be released on Aug 15 or Oct 2 this year.
"Prisoners in the 60-plus to 80-plus category who have been in jail for years due to slow or delayed trials in courts will be freed," said a home department official in Patna.
The department has identified aged prisoners in the district jails of Gopalganj, Bhojpur, Siwan, Motihari, Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar promised last year that aged prisoners would be released.
