The Bihar government on Monday notified the release of 27 prisoners who were serving life sentences, including gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan, NDTV reported.

The order came days after the government amended the Bihar Prison Manual to remove a provision that disallowed remission to those convicted for murdering a public servant on duty. The new rule, which was introduced on April 10, allows early release of those convicted for such crimes if they have served an actual sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment or 20 years’ imprisonment with remission.

Mohan, who founded the now-defunct Bihar People’s Party, was convicted for the murder of Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994. The court held him guilty of inciting a mob that was protesting the killing of Chhotan Shukla, another gangster-turned-politician from the Bihar People’s Party.

The trial court had sentenced Mohan to death, but the Patna High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court verdict in 2012.

Mohan, a former MP, had been lodged in Saharsa District Jail and was recently released on parole to attend a wedding in his family, according to The Indian Express.

The Bihar law department’s notification allowing the release of the 27 prisoners read: “In light of the Bihar state sentence remission council meeting on April 20, the decision was taken for the release of prisoners having served actual sentence of 14 years or sentence of 20 years with remission.”

While the order requires several of the convicts to appear before the police on a regular basis, no such condition has been put in place for Mohan, The Indian Express reported.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said that the Bihar government’s decision has angered the Dalit community. “Whatever the compulsion may have been, the Bihar government should certainly reconsider this,” she said.

Krishnaiah belonged to the Dalit community.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar saying: “Can someone who is leaning on a criminal syndicate, to hold on to power, be the face of India, even as opposition leader?”

However, Janata Dal (United) MLC Neeraj Kumar said that the order was not meant to benefit any individual.