Thursday, 18 November 2021 | Nainital
Pulling up the Home secretary and inspector general (IG) of prisons while expressing dissatisfaction at the report submitted by them, the Uttarakhand high court has directed the officials to visit all the jails in the state and submit a detailed report by December 7 about the situation in the jails and the condition of inmates. The division bench headed by the chief justice RS Chauhan issued this direction while hearing on a public interest litigation regarding installation of CCTV cameras and other facilities in the jails in the state.
In the past the IG had informed the court that budget had been passed for a new jail which was being constructed in Pithoragarh. The court then learnt that though the jail building had not been constructed, Rs seven crore had been spent on building the boundary wall. In Champawat jail the food for inmates is being cooked in the bathroom. The court has also suggested that the state government should consider whether or not it can release on parole those who are jailed for minor crimes. The total capacity of jails in the state is about 3,500 whereas more than 6,000 persons are currently in the state’s jails. Citing the example of the Champawat district jail and the dimensions of the cell in which six women undertrials have been kept, the court asked the government whether such a cell is adequate to keep six persons. The court asked whether this is not a violation of human rights.
Santosh Upadhyay and others had filed separate PILs stating that in 2015, the Supreme Court had issued an order directing all states to install CCTV cameras and provide basic facilities in the jails. The petitioners have requested the court to direct the state government to implement the SC orders.
