High Court notice to Himachal on ‘violation’ of rights in correctional home

Vijay Arora

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, May 20

The HP High Court today issued a notice to the state government and others on the issue of highlighting the serious violation of human rights of children at the Children’s Correctional Home in Hiranagar, Shimla.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Rakesh Kainthla further directed the state authorities to file their response within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on June 24.

The court passed this order on a letter written by Prof Ajay Srivastava, president of Umang Foundation, an organisation working for protection of human rights, to the Chief Justice, wherein he has highlighted the plight of the correctional home inmates.

Treating the letter as Public Interest Litigation, the High Court has sought response from the State Government, Director of Women and Child Development Department and the District Programme Officer. Apart from these, the court has made the Superintendent of Children’s Correctional Home, Kaushal Guleria and three employees — Rahul (cook), Yogesh (kitchen helper), and Rohit (security guard) as a party in the petition.

In a letter sent to Chief Justice MS Ramchandra Rao, it was alleged that in this children’s correctional home run by the Department of Women and Child Development, children are treated inhumanly.

It was alleged in the letter that the staff of the correctional home are often under the influence of alcohol in the office and always misbehaved with the inmates. It was further alleged that the food provided to the children is also of very poor quality.