Srinagar, May 14 -- The changes, notified by the Home Department under the authority of the Lieutenant Governor, were made in exercise of powers under Section 59 of the Prisons Act, 1894.

According to the new amendment in Chapter I of the manual, a habitual offender is now defined as a person who, during any continuous five-year period, has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment on more than two occasions for offences committed on different occasions and not part of the same transaction. Importantly, any period spent in prison under sentence or detention will not be counted in the five-year duration. Only convictions not reversed on appeal or review will be considered.

This amendment is expected to impact how repeat offenders are ...