Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 26: Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sindhu Sharma today directed Director General Prisons to undertake disability audit of all prisons and ensure that no difficulty is faced by any prisoner on account of disability or age.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, DB observed, “this matter has been repeatedly adjourned at the request of B A Dar, Senior AAG to the effect that the new Jail Manual was at the stage of finalization and only formal approval had to be recorded”, adding “today again time has been sought to place the new Jail Manual on record”.
The DB directed that the final view, which will be taken, shall be placed on record positively within six weeks from today, failing which Secretary, Department of Home, Union Territory of J&K, shall remain personally present in the court on the next date.
“As in other parts of the country, it is essential to have a disability audit undertaken of the jails in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Union Territory of Ladakh. Additionally, certain facilities, in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court in R D Updhayay Vs State of Andhra Pradesh deserve to be provided to the prisoners”, the DB said.
These, inter alia, include, special facilities for pregnant women prisoners; women prisoners and children who are lodged in jails; education and recreation for children who are staying in jails with their mothers and follow up of the plight of the families of the prisoners.
“Several steps, in this regard, are being undertaken by the J&K State Legal Services Authority as well as such the Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority, shall place before this court a compilation of the steps underway in this regard”, the DB directed.
“So far as Central Prison, Tihar, Delhi, is concerned, the MIPMAN Foundation, an organization having expertise in the field, has assisted the concerned authorities in undertaking the disability audit and facilitating creation of facilities for the disabled prisoners in the jail”, the DB said, adding “services of this organization may be utilized in undertaking the disability audits of jails in the Union Territories”.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
