As many as 54 women foreign nationals lodged in Tihar jail have written to the High Powered Committee (HPC), which was constituted after the Supreme Court’s orders, claiming discrimination against them after the parole and interim bail norms for Indian prisoners were relaxed in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
“We humbly pray that at this crucial time we should not be discriminated against. The benefit of parole/interim bail/remission may be extended to all of us. We too are humans and are at risk of contracting COVID-19,” stated the representation made to the HPC, chaired by Justice Hima Kohli.
The representation, made through advocate Ajay Verma, also highlighted that, “there are many foreign women (lodged inside of the Jail No. 6 of Central Jail Tihar) medically ill, who are most vulnerable and have serious risk of infection of corona”.
They urged the HPC to consider relaxing the norms for interim release or emergency parole in view of the risks.
No relaxation
Recently, the HPC relaxed the criteria for the release of undertrial prisoners on interim bail from Delhi jails. The HPC, however, recommended that the under-trial prisoners, who are foreign nationals, will not be given the relaxation. Recently, the Delhi High Court ordered the city government to release undertrial prisoners (UTPs), who are unable to furnish surety bond, on their furnishing a personal bond to decongest jails during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The decision was taken after the Supreme Court took up the issue of overcrowding of prisons, as a matter of serious concern, pursuant to the spread of COVID-19 across the globe and it is declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
Mr. Verma, in a letter to the HPC, said that the foreign national women lodged in Central Jail No. 6 after learning that they have been excluded from the easing of the parole and interim bail norms panicked and “...raised the issue with the Superintendant...”. They then decided to make a collective representation before the HPC, he said.
After the easing of the norms, the HPC was apprised by D.G (Prisons) that the Jail Population has come down from 17,552 as on March 25 to 16,179 as on April 7. On complete implementation of the new criteria, the number would further come down.
