Patna, Sept. 22 -- The Patna High Court has recommended a series of reforms in the Bihar Prison Manual, including providing prisoners an opportunity of hearing before remission already granted to them is deducted or seized and creating safeguards to ensure that illiterate inmates are not disadvantaged in earning special remission.

A division bench of Justices Bibek Chaudhuri and Chandra Shekhar Jha, while disposing of a suo motu writ petition registered pursuant to a Supreme Court order, also recommended greater transparency in the calculation of remission and the premature release process for life convicts.

The court directed that every prisoner should be supplied with a duplicate copy of the History Ticket, containing details of remissi...