Kathmandu, Sept. 10 -- The Supreme Court on Thursday once again directed the government to immediately release or reduce jail terms of inmates living in vulnerable conditions in various prisons across the country in view of the rising covid-19 cases in prison.

The decision was made by a joint bench of justices Sapana Malla Pradhan and Prakash Kumar Dhungana in response to a writ petition filed by Badri Kumar Thapa, Ram Sharma, Gopal Siwakoti 'Chintan', Man Bahadur Rawat, and Khim Bahadur Sunar, all of them inmates at Central Jail in Kathmandu.

Stating that overcrowded prisons violate the right to health of the prison inmates, the court ordered authorities to seek alternative ways of penalising those behind bars.

The bench ordered the g...