The Delhi High court on Tuesday directed the DG (Prisons), the city government and the police to implement a system which would put in public domain the records of the undertrials lodged in jails.
“We direct the District Judge (Headquarters), DG (Prisons) and the Delhi police to make suggestions and implement a system where there is immediate transmission of information,” a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mitral and Justice C. Hari Shankar said.
Letter from Judge
The court’s direction came in a case initiated by it pursuant to a letter received from Justice Kurian Joseph, Supreme Court Judge, in 2015 highlighting that a number of women undertrials in capital's Tihar Jail were languishing without trial for a very long period.
The court had constituted a committee to look into the issue. The committee examined the suggestions and gave a consolidated report on December 11.
String of guidelines
The report suggested a string of guidelines for preparation and updation of the record of the undertrial prisoners.
It suggested different roles for the court, the jail authorities and legal service authorities for updation of records of undertrial prisoners so that their release in not delayed.
The court said that such directions when implemented “will go a long way to ensure the rights of the prisoners”.
The court fixed the matter for further hearing on January 15 next year.
