Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Indian government on ensuring that prisoners in India are released once they have served their prison sentences.

The British High Commission in India have discussed the preliminary release of prisoners serving life sentences with the relevant Indian authorities. However, we understand that the Supreme Court has suspended indefinitely the premature release of life prisoners by State Governments.

Specific issues of sentencing are a matter for the Indian authorities.