In West Bengal there is a duly constituted Review Board for consideration of applications for premature release made by life convicts.
It consists of:
1. Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department – Chairman of the Review Board;
2. Commissioner of Police, Kolkata – Member
3. Chief Probation Officer, West Bengal – Member
4. Inspector General of Prisons, West Bengal – Member
5. Judicial Secretary, West Bengal – Convener
6. Director General and Inspector General of Police, West Bengal – Member
7. Principal Secretary, Jails Department, West Bengal – Member
Procedure
On receipt of the application for premature release except under Article 161 of the Constitution, the Review Board would go into all the details and place it before the Government. Ultimately on approval of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, the convict is prematurely released u/s 432 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Insofar as application under Article 161 is concerned, it was explained that the procedure followed remains the same but the file is finally placed before His Excellency the Governor of the State through the Hon’ble Chief Minister.
