Inmates to return to Model Jail Chandigarh from November 16
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 9
A meeting, chaired by Justice Jaswant Singh, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, and chairman, High-Powered Committee of the UT, Chandigarh, constituted for the decongestion of jails, was convened to decide on the readmission of prisoners to Model Jail, Chandigarh, who had been released on special parole and special interim bail due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Steps in place
- The groups/batches have been prepared in a manner to ensure proper quarantine of each group, that too in separate barracks
- The rapid antigen test of prisoners returning from special parole or special interim bail shall be done outside the jail at Gate No. 1
- Symptomatic prisoners with positive antigen test shall be referred to the GMSH, Sector 16, for the RT-PCR test for Covid-19
The committee, at its previous meeting on September 29, had directed the prison authorities to submit a detailed plan for the readmission of prisoners to the jail in a staggered manner and keeping in view the gravity of offence(s)/punishment(s).
Ombir Singh, IG, Prisons, gave a presentation on the detailed plan for the readmission of prisoners.
The jail authorities said the sanctioned capacity of Model Jail was 1,120 prisoners — 1,000 male and 120 female.
The number of prisoners as on November 5 was 779 — 741 male and 38 female. The number of prisoners released on special parole was 202 — 193 male and 9 female — and those on special interim bail 47 — 46 male and one female.
The committee concurred with the plan submitted by the prison authorities and decided that convicted prisoners who had been released on special parole would return in batches of around 50 from November 16 to December 7. Similarly, undertrial prisoners will return to the prison from December 12 onwards.
