Bar report reveals pathetic condition of inmates in Jammu jails

Srinagar, Feb 8 : The held Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association has said that the condition of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in different jails in Jammu is pathetic and contrary to set guidelines laid in Jail Manual.

This was revealed in its Annual Jail Visit Report (AJVR)—2012, which was released by Bar after its team members concluded their visit to various jails in Jammu division.

“The political prisoners are jointly lodged with the convicts and other under-trial prisoners though under law the political prisoners deserve a classification for separate lodgement under the status of A, B and C category of political prisoners,” the report said.

“The political prisoners are placed with ordinary criminals which is not permissible under law,” the report added.

“The general health care is a problem inside the jails for want of sufficient reasonable and appropriate doctors, paramedical staff and general medicines”, the report said, adding that “mostly the jail inmates suffer from mental depression and skin disease which need immediate medical attention and treatment.”

“Baring Central jail Kotebalwal and district jail Amphala, in rest of the jails, there is no permanent posting of doctors inside the jails nor the minimum requirement of basic dispensary is available”, the report said.

 “The security escort is a problem which is long pending issue and the state authorities seem intentional and deliberate in not providing security escorts to the jail authorities for the purposes of production of the undertrial prisoners before the courts on due dates which leads to delay in justice and consequently denial of justice,” the team members observed.

The team members observed most of the convictions are because of the non-availability of the legal advice and services of experienced lawyers.

“The appropriate legal defence is a legal problem with the prisoners from Jammu region related to accused persons are also having a sense of isolation and unilateral attitude of the courts in Jammu region towards them which they feel an impediment in fair play of justice before the courts”, the team observed.

“The under-trial prisoners and the detainees are supposed to be lodged in the nearest jail where they face a trial but it is not understandable as to why the undertrial prisoners relating to the freedom struggle are being lodged in distant jails,” the lawyers observed.

“In all the jails in Jammu region there is a common mess in jail wherein according to the prisoners vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is prepared together and served to the inmates”, the report said.

The Bar Association team recommended separate mess for Muslims and non-Muslims inside the mess as the Muslims are non-vegetarian and some of the Hindus are vegetarian in food habits.
 The team visited district Jail Poonch, sub-jail Rajouri, Central Jail, Kotebalwal, Jammu District Jail,  Amphala Jail , District Jail Kathua and Sub-Jail, Hiranagar in Jammu division.

The team had interaction with the jail inmates and the authorities about the inside conditions of the jails and problems faced by the inmates.
The HCBA had got permission to visit the various jails of Jammu district in an interim direction on December 14, 2012 in the writ petition titled “J&K High court Bar Association versus State and others”.

The Association will file the report in held Jammu and Kashmir High Court shortly.

“The lawyers were permitted to have face to face interactions with the political detainees including those detained under preventive laws and under-trial prisoners”, the report said adding that the Bar Association had nominated a team of lawyers headed by the Vice President, Advocate Aijaz Bedar with Muhammad Ashraf Bhat General Secretary of the J&K High court Bar Association, Bilal Ahmad Wani treasurer and Advocate G. N. Shaheen and Hamid Shafi as its members.

Ends
SA/EN