PIL seeks facilities for male prisoners

Chennai, Apr 12 (UNI) The Human Rights Advocacy and Research Foundation (HRARF) today filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu Government to provide facilities to male prisoners languishing in jails, on a par with the facilities ordered by the Court for women prisoners.

A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Mr Justice D Murugesan before whom the PIL was filed by HRARF Managing Director Ossie Fernandez, ordered a notice, returnable by June 18, to the State Home Secretary and Additional Director General of Prisons.

In his PIL, Mr Fernandez submitted that male prisoners, lodged in sub-jails and central prisons all over the state were not provided with adequate facilities.

The food served was of low quality and hygene was poor. The water supply was insufficient and protected water was not supplied.

The PIL said medical care to the prisoners was minimal, mosquito menace was rampant and staff-strength was inadequate. The remand prisoners taken into judicial custody were not provided with fresh clothes.

They, therefore, need the same reforms as had been ordered for women prisons by an order dated January 9, 2007, he added.

He requested the court to direct the authorities to extend the order to all male prisons in the state also.

UNI