THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF Government is all set to release jailed former Minister R Balakrishna Pillai ahead of the completion of his one-year jail term in the Edamalayar graft case, under the cover of granting remission for convicts on the State Formation (Kerala Piravi) Day on November 1.Pillai’s name has found mention in the list of 138 convicts to be released, thereby shortening his jail term by two months. He is the only convict in the list who has been imprisoned by the Supreme Court.However, sources close to Pillai indicated that he would continue for at least a month in the hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for a ‘rare’ disease, which is ridiculed by the Opposition as a ploy to circumvent the stay in prison. The Jail ADGP will issue formal orders for the release of convicts after a ‘proper evaluation’.Going by the ‘Kerala Piravi’ reprieve based on Article 161 of the Constitution, those undergoing jail terms will be entitled to get a relaxation in the sentence ranging from 15 days to one year. In the past, around 7,000 convicts have been freed as a gesture to mark special occasions like the golden jubilee of Independence and Dr Ambedkar Jayanti.With the move to give relief to Pillai, which the Opposition accuses is against democratic norms, the UDF Government is poised to find itself more uncomfortable on political and moral grounds.
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