HC: Study Delhi jail manual to manage prisons efficiently

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, September 20

Taking note of the appalling condition of the prisons in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the J&K Legal Services Authority to approach the Delhi Government for obtaining a copy of the draft jail manual which promises to usher in a slew of progressive and “gender-sensitive” reforms in Delhi jails.

The directions have been passed by a division bench headed by Chief Justice Gita Mittal in a PIL on the condition of jails in the state.

“An exercise with regard to the conditions of jails in Delhi has been undertaken under the aegis of the Member Secretary, Delhi Legal Services Authority. Beigh (counsel representing the J&K Legal Services Authority) is requested to approach the Member Secretary, Delhi Legal Services Authority, and the standing counsel, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCT), Delhi, for a copy of the report to enable the examination in Kashmir as well,” the bench said in its order made available on Thursday.

Noting that the record shows that no report on the inspection of the jails in the Kashmir province is forthcoming, the High Court reiterated its previous directions, asking the respective District State Legal Services Authorities to “ensure that inspection is conducted and report with regard to the conditions of jails” is “placed before” the court within two weeks.

As the existing prison manuals across the country, including in J&K, are outdated, the updated Delhi jail manual and rules, drafted on the Delhi HC directions, is reform-oriented, not punishment-oriented.