Sikkim: Report by NIC in connecting jails with courts

Gangtok, Jul 20: The Sikkim unit of National Informatics Centre (NIC) is preparing a project report to connect the two state jails with the courts with video conferencing facilities.

If the project is given a nod, Rongey jail in east district and Namchi jail in south district would be connected with video conferencing facilities with district and sessions court and chief judicial magistrate.

Each court would have exclusive video conferencing at separate date and time and a total of 10 video conferencing links are proposed to be provided.

The state prison administrator had requested NIC to prepare the project report.

According to NIC sources, the video conferencing facility is expected to cost around Rs 2.5 crore.

This video conferencing facility will allow criminal and their lawyers to present their arguments before the court while remaining within the confines of the prison.

Escape attempts by criminals while transportation from jail to court and back will also be prevented with this new measure.

NIC officials here said that the project can be completed in a year upon given consent. NIC has already set up video conferencing facilities in all the four district collectorate offices, Chief Minister's residence and has its own such arrangement at its office in Gangtok.

UNI