IMPHAL, August 7: During a hearing of a PIL case taken up by the High Court of Manipur on “court on its motion” conducted yesterday, the Court has directed the concerned authorities to provide necessary commodities to inmates of the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa and Manipur Central Jail, Imphal within two weeks time.
According to sources, the case filed by the court is PIL Case No 10/2013 which included four respondents and was filed on account of reports submitted to the court following an inspection tour conducted by the District & Sessions Judge, Manipur East to the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa and Manipur Central, Imphal where it had closely inspected the condition of the inmates and jails.
The source further said that the hearing of the case was conducted by a Division Bench of the High Court of Manipur comprising Chief Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre and Justice N Kotiswar Singh yesterday.
During the hearing of the case, Dr J Sureshbabu Singh, Principal Secretary (Home), one of the four respondents had given his statement.
The respondent informed before the court about works taken up by the government to avail essential commodities in the two jails.
However, the court instructed to provide the shortage of commodities and other items faced by the inmates of the two jails within two weeks and also gave several other directives to ensure that the inmates receive the benefits before the set time.
Acting on the case, the court had passed ruling citing- “The inspection report submitted by the learned District & Sessions Judge, Manipur East in respect of the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa has indicated an acute shortage of drinking water in the Jail premises which is a matter of deep concern to this Court”.
“Accordingly, we direct that immediate steps be taken by the Jail authorities for providing safe drinking water to the inmates in the jail and a report in that regard may be submitted before this court within a period of two weeks”.
“The Inspection Report also has indicated that to cater to the needs of about 600 inmates in the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa, there are only eight female nurses/attendants and there is not a single male nurse/attendant, which we find to be unacceptable in as much as it will be highly undesirable for the female nurses/attendants to go inside the Jail premises or the wards to take care of the medical need of the jail inmates consisting exclusively of males”.
“Therefore, we direct the Jail authorities to provide at least five male nurses/attendants to assist the doctors and others to deal with the male inmates in the Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa within a period of two weeks”.
“It is also brought to our notice and also as admitted by the Principal Secretary (Home), Govt. of Manipur that timely production before the Courts located in those hill districts and distantly located Courts of Under Trial (UT) prisoners lodged in the two jails at Imphal and belonging to far flung districts/hili districts has been hampered because of lack of adequate security and provisions for transportation”.
“This problem, in our view, could be largely addressed to if Video Conferencing facilities are provided in the Jail premises and the respective Courts located in the hilly areas or far flung areas. Accordingly, we direct the authorities to submit an action taken report in this regard within a period of one month for installation of Video Conferencing facilities in the jail premises and concerned courts”.
“The State respondents are directed to submit the detail plans for operationalising the jail in Churachandpur district, to begin with, within a period of two months. List this matter, accordingly, after two weeks”.
“A copy of this order be furnished to the learned Advocate General, Manipur as well as to the Principal Secreatry (Home), Government of Manipur”, the court directive said, informed the source.