Srinagar, July 10: J&K High Court on Tuesday took serious note of the “leniency” exhibited by the officers of subordinate judiciary to submit reports of the jails within their jurisdictions.
The court directed the Registrar General to comply with its earlier directions within a week and report the court.
On May 25th of this year, the High Court had directed its Registrar General to seek a report about the periodical visit to jails by the District and Session Judges in their respective areas of authority.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice D S Thakur while hearing suo moto proceedings about the condition of the inmates of the jails, especially those of the political detainees, directed the Registrar General to report compliance about its earlier direction passed on 25th of May within a period of one week.
The court was informed that despite its direction passed earlier only three district judges including District and Sessions Judges of Kathua, Reasi and Pulwama have so far filed their respective visiting reports up to the prescribed date and that the rest of the judges had not filed the visiting report.
The court directed the Registrar Judicial to ensure that the counsel appearing for High Court should file explanation from rest of the district judges as to why they have not submitted visiting reports till date.
Direction is already on the authorities to ensure that the inmates of the jails facing trial in different courts should be produced before the court whenever their presence is directed by the trial court.
The court in its previous direction had asked the petitioner– Association of the lawyers — to prepare a checklist as to what are the requirements that are to be provided to the detainees keeping in mind the decisions of the Supreme Court so that a workable solution is found and effectively managed.
The earlier report of Home Department, Union of India, filed by its Additional Secretary reveals that a meeting was called in for removing various deficiencies like that of drinking water at Central Jail Srinagar and non-availability of ambulances in the jails and providing a contingent of escort to meet the emergency situations like ailment in the jails.
It also stressed on providing services of B-Grade specialists or assistant surgeons to the inmates and arrangement for their segregation in their respective classes as per the jail manual.
