Gujarat HC directs sessions court to submit report on jail atrocities

The Gujarat High Court directed the District and Sessions court Judge P B Desai to submit his inquiry report to the court into the incidents of alleged atrocities on prisoners of Sabarmati Central Jail by this Friday. A Division bench, comprising Justices M S Shah and H N Devani, took this decision after the state Government submitted an affidavit, denying all the charges levelled in the Public Interest Ligitation. The court has fixed April 6 for the next hearing of this case. Earlier last Friday, the court after hearing a preliminary hearing of a pil filed by advocate Shamshad Pathan, a member of Jan Sangharsh Manch, an NGO, directed the sessions judge to inquire into the incidence of alleged atrocities on prisoners and also issued notices to the State Government and Jail authorities. Advocate Dr Mukul Sinha, on behalf of the petitioner, last week submitted before the court that the petitioner had received several complaints from relatives of certain prisoners of the Central Jail that they were subjected to severe torture and inhuman treatment by Jail Superintendent, Chandrashekhar, who had allegedly created an atmosphere of terror in the jail and violated all norms of civilised society. Apart from specific complaints of brutality and atrocity committed on prisoners, the jail authorities were completely unsympathetic towards the welfare of the prisoners, Dr Sinha said, adding that knowingly and deliberately they had flouted the directions given by the High Court through judgement and order dated May 7, 2004 in a Special Civil Application. Mr Chandrashekhar, after taking over the administration of Sabarmati Central Jail, had curtailed all the amenities and welfare measures, which the prisoners were entitled to under law, Dr Sinha told the court.

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