80 Percent Of Indians Jailed In UAE Don't Want To Be Repatriated
Some of the prisoners said they do not have any money to make calls to their families, while others need legal assistance in making appeals for clemency.
Seetharam said the conditions in the prison he visited seemed reasonably good.
"I spent more than two hours over there and spoke to about 60 Indian prisoners. I did not receive any complaint about the conditions in the prison."
Seetharam said the embassy had already forwarded the applications it received to the UAE authorities.
"Now, we need to get the approval from the UAE authorities. After that we will take it up with the Ministry of Home Affairs in India, which will then contact the respective governments of states where the prisoners wish to be transferred," he said.
The prisoners transfer pact applies to those who have already been convicted and not to under-trials. The crime should be punishable in both the countries and they will have to serve the remainder of their sentence specified in the host country.
The prisoner wishing to be transferred must have a minimum of six months of jail term left and there shouldn't be any pending case against him or her.
The choice to be transferred has to be made voluntarily by the prisoners. Community leaders and volunteers assisting the missions with jail visits had earlier said that the treaty had elicited mixed response from Indian prisoners.
Both the governments of the host and receiving countries have the rights to accept or reject prisoners' requests.
The Indian mission had initiated proceedings for implementing the agreement after it was ratified by President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan earlier last year.
The UAE had signed a similar pact with Pakistan in February 2012.
