Four life convicts in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case have been released on 60-day parole, according to a report by Dinamalar, prompting criticism from the BJP and Hindu organisations in Tamil Nadu. The decision has opened a fresh dispute over how long-serving prisoners convicted in a major terror case should be considered for temporary release.
The report identifies the released prisoners as Mohamed Hassan, 46, Mohamed Ali, 52, Mohamed Azam, Mohamed Ansari, 58, and Nawab Khan. It says they were among 22 Muslim prisoners for whom the state government decided to grant 60-day parole, with the four named convicts released in the first phase.
The parole decision follows a long-running demand from Muslim organisations and some political parties for the early release or temporary release of Muslim prisoners who have spent extended periods in Tamil Nadu jails. According to the report, the demand had been raised for more than 15 years and gained political support after various parties advocated the release of long-serving prisoners.
Dinamalar reported that representatives associated with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Communist movement had met Chief Minister Vijay and Law Minister Nirmalkumar to seek the release of long-serving Muslim prisoners. The report said the government subsequently decided to grant parole to 22 prisoners for 60 days.
The Coimbatore case relates to a series of bomb blasts on February 14, 1998, across more than 11 locations in the city. The attacks, which targeted a programme involving former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, killed 58 people and injured 231, according to the report. Investigators identified the Al Umma organisation as being involved in the case, and 168 people were arrested. A special court later sentenced Al Umma leader Bashा and others to life imprisonment.
The parole release has drawn strong objections from the BJP and Hindu organisations. Their representatives have described the decision as a bad precedent and demanded that the Tamil Nadu government withdraw the order. Their statements argued that prisoners convicted in the case should not receive a long parole period because of the scale of the attacks and their impact on victims and survivors.
The report quoted Hindu Makkal Katchi leader Arjun Sampath as saying that releasing Al Umma office-bearers convicted in the case could threaten peace in Coimbatore. He called for the order to be withdrawn, citing public safety, national security and confidence in the law.
The criticism has also turned the parole decision into a political dispute. BJP and Hindu organisation representatives alleged that the release reflected minority appeasement and vote-bank politics, while the report linked the decision to years of demands by Muslim organisations and political parties for the release of long-serving prisoners. Those political allegations are claims by the critics and have not been independently established in the supplied report.
The immediate administrative question is how the 60-day parole conditions will be enforced and whether the government will review the decision following the criticism. The supplied report does not include a detailed statement from the prison department or the Tamil Nadu government explaining the legal basis, eligibility assessment, supervision arrangements or restrictions attached to the parole orders.
