Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday pulled up the State government for its failure in taking steps to implement its earlier order to improve jail conditions. In March, a Division Bench comprising Justices A.S. Oka and Vibha Kankanwadi had directions to improve conditions at prisons.
The court expressed dismay over the “vague steps” taken by the government while hearing a plea by the Jan Adalat Centre of Para-Legal Services and Legal Aid on the condition of jails. “In our March 2 order, we had directed the government to form a committee and comply with our directions within six months. It has been four months now but we find the steps taken by the government are vague,” Justice Oka said.
The Bench said, “We do not think that even at the end of six months, the government would comply with all our directions. We will then take the government to task.” The matter will be next heard on July 13. In its March order, the HC had directed the government to identify land in Mumbai and Pune for additional jails to reduce overcrowding at the Arthur Road amd Yerwada central prisons.
The court had also asked the government to see if it can carry out any additional construction at the Arthur Road and the Yerwada prisons to provide better facilities and space to the prisoners.
It directed the government to set up a committee headed by a retired high court judge and experts as members to conduct a scientific study on setting up a model prison with necessary infrastructure and steps to reduce the overcrowding in jails.
The state government today filed an affidavit detailing steps taken. “The Principal Secretary (Home) and ADG (Prisons) visited Yerwada prison in Pune and submitted that the jail has space available where additional capacity, if needed, can be created,” the affidavit said. It also said work to increase the number of toilets and bathrooms in the Arthur Road and Byculla prisons is on.
