The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Tamil Nadu state secretary P. Shanmugam has submitted petitions to Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, seeking 60-day furlough for long-term Muslim prisoners and the early release of two Pricol workers serving life sentences, as reported in Maalai Malar.
Shanmugam, along with representatives of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Democratic Lawyers Association, met the minister at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat and urged the government to act on the pending requests.
சிறையில் நீண்ட காலமாக உள்ள
இஸ்லாமியர்களை விடுதலை செய்க!சட்டத்துறை அமைச்சர் சி.டி.ஆர்.நிர்மல் குமாரிடம் சிபிஎம் மாநிலச் செயலாளர் பெ.சண்முகம் மனு!! https://t.co/Sk0sUolGhk
— Shanmugam P (@Shanmugamcpim) October 22, 2026
CPM Alleges Delay In Furlough For Muslim Prisoners
Several political leaders, including Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) president M.H. Jawahirullah, have repeatedly urged the Tamil Nadu government to release Muslim prisoners who have spent 10 to 20 years or more in jail, citing good conduct. They have also demanded parole for long-term inmates.
In a social media post, Shanmugam said some Muslim prisoners had spent more than 28 years in prison and had been pursuing their legal right to permanent release.
According to him, petitions seeking their release were followed by writ petitions before the Madras High Court after the government failed to act. In an order dated November 19, 2025, the High Court directed the government to pass orders on applications for permanent release and observed that the government could grant interim leave.
Shanmugam said the government subsequently issued Government Order No. 82 on February 14, 2026, establishing provisions for furlough, a form of extended temporary leave, applicable to long-term prisoners generally and not exclusively to Muslim inmates.
Under Section 6(1) of the order, prisoners can apply to the prison superintendent, who obtains conduct reports from the concerned police station and district collector before forwarding a recommendation to the Inspector General of Prisons. The prison authorities can then grant 60 days of furlough.
Under Section 6(2), prisoners can apply for an additional 60 days. After obtaining fresh conduct reports, the prison superintendent forwards the recommendation through the prison department to the state government’s Home and Prisons Department for approval.
Shanmugam said 15 Muslim prisoners who had spent more than 28 years in Coimbatore, Palayamkottai and Puzhal Central Prisons were granted 60 days of furlough under orders issued between February 26 and March 13, 2026. All 15 returned to prison after their leave ended, he said.
Applications seeking a further 60 days of furlough under Section 6(2) were submitted in April and May. However, the government had not granted the requested leave, Shanmugam alleged.
He said the applications had undergone the prescribed scrutiny and had been recommended by the concerned departments and the Law Minister, but the file remained pending.
Shanmugam urged the minister to ensure that the prisoners were granted furlough without further delay and that their long incarceration was taken into account while considering their permanent release.
CPM, CPI Seek Early Release Of Two Pricol Workers
In a separate petition submitted to Law Minister Nirmal Kumar, Shanmugam, CPI state deputy secretaries and Democratic Lawyers Association president Yuvaraj sought the early release of two Pricol workers, K. Manivannan and E. Ramamoorthy.
The two were sentenced to life imprisonment in a case arising from the death of a human resources official at the Coimbatore-based Pricol company. They have spent more than 10 years in prison.
The petition urged the Tamil Nadu government to release the two workers on compassionate and humanitarian grounds by exercising its powers under Article 161 of the Constitution, which empowers the Governor to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment, or to suspend, remit or commute sentences in accordance with the constitutional framework.
The leaders called on the government to consider their prolonged incarceration and take steps towards their early release.
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