[ Samshum Changmi ]
GUWAHATI, 29 Dec: The Gauhati High Court recently issued a directive to the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram to file detailed affidavits addressing the poor conditions in their central and district jails.
The order was passed by the division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswamiin the Case No WP (C) (suo moto)/8/2018, following an inspection report submitted by the registrar general of the court on 20 August, 2024.
The inspection was conducted by a committee comprising the member secretary of the Assam State Legal Services Authority and the DIGs of prisons (Guwahati and Jorhat ranges).
In the inspection report, the committee highlighted widespread deficiencies in the jails across the four states. “The committee has highlighted the situation prevailing in the jails of the above-referred four states, and it is reported that, by and large, the condition of the jails in all the four States is not satisfactory,” the court observed.
The bench expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of response from the states. “All the four states have not responded to the said affidavit filed on behalf of the registrar general of the Gauhati High Court,” the bench noted.
The court has now directed the states to file comprehensive affidavits detailing the measures taken to address the issues highlighted in the report. “The affidavits shall detail what measures the above-referred four states have taken in respect of the recommendations made by the committee and, if those recommendations have not been implemented, then by what time they are going to implement the same,” the court stated.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on 29 January, 2025, by which time the affidavits are to be filed.
