Supreme Court to pass order on setting up of committee on prison reforms

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today reserved its order on the issue of constituting a committee to deal with issues pertaining to jails and suggest reforms for prisons across the country.

A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta perused the draft of terms of reference of the committee which was prepared by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni and advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter.

The bench told the ASG and the amicus that terms of reference prepared by them should be "clear" no grievance could crop up later.

"Please sit down together. It will hardly take 30 minutes for you," the bench said, adding, "make it clearer".

The bench said that the committee, to be headed by a retired judge of the apex court, should be given all necessary facilities to carry out their work.

To this, the ASG said, "We have said that all benefits given to a Supreme Court judge will be given".

The bench referred to the issue relating to Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, headed by former apex court judge Justice K S Radhakrishnan, and said that it took months to provide facilities to the panel.

While hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across India, the bench had earlier said that a committee should be set up to look into the issue on a day-to-day basis and suggest measures to tackle the problems since it includes the issue of human rights of prisoners in jails.

It had said that the committee, to be headed by a former apex court, would be assisted by two-three officers of the Government of India.

The apex court had on August 5 expressed displeasure that several states had not yet appointed the board of visitors who regularly inspect prisons to ensure that they are being run in accordance with rules.

It had taken strong exception to overcrowded jails across the country and said prisoners also have human rights and cannot be kept in jail like "animals".

It had earlier passed a slew of directions over unnatural deaths in jails and on prison reforms across India.