KATHMANDU: President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has granted amnesty to 289 jailbirds, with effect from Saturday. The convicts were serving sentences in prisons across the country. According to a press release issued by the Office of the President, they benefited from amnesty on the occasion of Constitution Day, as per Article 276 of the Constitution and other laws. The government may recommend to the president to waive the remaining jail term of the prisoners, who have been convicted of short-time crimes and have already served at least 40 per cent of the jail term, provided they have demonstrated good conduct in prison. Seventy five per cent of the remaining term of the jailbirds, who are above 65 years of age and have demonstrated good conduct, may be commuted. However, anyone convicted of a heinous crime is not entitled to the presidential amnesty. A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 20, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.