Meghalaya govt seeks status report on jails

Shillong, Apr 10 (UNI) The Meghalaya government today asked all District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to provide status reports of the undertrial prisoners (UTPs) within two weeks.

'' I have directed all the district authorities to submit a status report of UTPs lodged in different jails within two weeks, '' Planning Board Chairman Purno A Sangma said while releasing a book titled ''When the Jacaranda blooms'', which dwelt on injustice meted out to an innocent man sentenced to 14 years in jail.

The book, authored by E M Jose, related to a true story of Rusith D Sangma, a UTP, impersonated as a murderer by the Jail authorities after he became mentally disturbed during his confinement in Tura and Shillong district jail for smuggling of logs to Bangladesh.

The actual murderer Deep Charan Kaipang and none of the district or jail authorities knew his release from jail or his whereabouts.

'' The book is a wake up call to the government to review the administration of justice and the need to have jail reforms, '' Mr Sangma said.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker also assured to revamp the process in administration of justice and Jail reforms to ensure justice to all.

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