Bombay HC seeks info on safety of Maharashtra prisoners after HT report

The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday took cognizance of a news report in Hindustan Times on April 16 about the growing cases of Covid-19 among prisoners and prison staff and initiated a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation (PIL) and asked the state to inform it by April 20 about measures it has taken to safeguard the prisoners and staff

The Bombay high court (HC) on Friday took cognizance of a news report in Hindustan Times on April 16 about the growing cases of Covid-19 among prisoners and prison staff and initiated a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation (PIL) and asked the state to inform it by April 20 about measures it has taken to safeguard the prisoners and staff.

HT Image

A vacation bench of justice Nitin Jamdar and justice CV Bhadang on Friday called on the state and sought to know from advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni regarding the news reports of a rise in Covid-19 cases in March and April 2021 in the prisons across the state.

“Newspaper reports, more particularly, Hindustan Times dated 16 April 2021 (Annexure 1) and Free Press Journal dated 16 April 2021 (Annexure 2), have highlighted an alarming rise in the Covid-19 cases in the last few days in the prisons of Maharashtra. It is reported that almost 200 prisoners amongst 47 prisons in the state have tested positive as of 14 April 2021. This number has gone up from 42 to 200 within nearly a month. It is stated that 86 staff members working in the prisons have also tested positive,” observed the bench.

Kumbhakoni representing the state government submitted that the HC had taken up a similar cause in July 2020 and had noted the measures taken by the state government to safeguard prisoners and staff and had issued certain directions. He added that the current situation would be dealt with similarly.

Thereafter the bench noted, “The reports, however, show a sudden rise of the Covid-19 cases in the state prisons, indicating a need for the court’s intervention to revisit the measures. This is a fit case where the court should take note of this situation and take up the cause in the public interest.”

The court asked the state government and prison authorities to place before it details about the status of Covid-19 status of prison staff, inmates and measures taken or proposed to be taken to control the Covid-19 spread and decongest jails. The court also directed the registry to issue notices to secretaries of the state home department and revenue department, director-general of police, director-general of prisons seeking details on the status of prisoners and jail staff in the next hearing on April 20.