Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Inspector General of Prisons, Puducherry, to produce the daily situation report in the Kalapet prison from November 23, 2018, to December 31, 2018.
A division bench comprising Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad gave the directive on a suo motu taken up PIL relating to prisoners.
After going through the reports submitted by the authorities and the submissions of additional public prosecutor, the bench gave the above directive.
The matter relates to suo motu PIL taken up by the first bench on October 5, 2017, in terms of the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court dated September 15, 2017, which requested the Chief Justice of the high court to register a suo motu public interest petition with a view to identifying the next of kin of the prisoners who have admittedly died an unnatural death as revealed by the NCRB during the period between 2012 and 2015 and even thereafter, and award suitable compensation unless adequate compensation has already not been awarded. Based on the same, this suo motu PIL was initiated, which was later transferred to the present bench.
The bench said in the report submitted by the Principal District Judge/Chief Judge of Puducherry who had inspected the prison on December 11, 2018, to the Registrar General of the Madras high court on January 8, 2019, it was stated that due to hunger strike, 32 convict prisoners were found to be serious and sent to government hospital. Out of which 3 convict prisoners were found to be administered with IV fluids and the principal district judge had also recorded a statement of a convict prisoner that one of prisoner alleged to have been beaten by the police, the bench added.
Pointing out that the Superintendent of Prisons and the district collector were not placing any material before the court as to the action taken by them, the bench said neither the Chief Secretary nor the IG has responded to the orders of the court relating to alleged torture and other aspects.
After additional public prosecutor submitted that the hunger strike by the convict prisoners were not due to non-consideration or non-granting of parole to convict prisoners but it was aimed against the death of one convict prisoner, the bench directed the IG produce the DSR of the prison between November 23 and December 31, 2019 during which period the alleged hunger strike was conducted by the prisoners.
Referring to the cleaning of blockages in the septic tanks in the prison as per the directions of the court, IG of Prisons has filed a status report stating that the cleaning work contract was already given and work was taken up and it was in progress and will be completed by March 31.
With regard to filling of vacancies, the additional public prosecutor on instructions from IG of Prisons submitted that all the vacancies would be filled up promptly and the orders of the court would be complied with.
Recording the submissions, the bench adjourned to tomorrow, further hearing of the case.
