Madras HC flays jail officials for stopping yoga classes by convict; orders resumption

CHENNAI: Slamming prison administration for stopping yoga classes offered by a convicted inmate to other prisoners as well as officials for about eight years now, Madras high court directed authorities of Central Prison in Salem to permit the classes, as usual.
The jail authorities stopped the yoga classes of murder convict, after his mother C Amutha had filed a case in Madras high court against the prison department in connection with the premature release of her son.
A division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose said: “It is made clear that by prohibiting or preventing the petitioner’s son from conducting yoga classes, loss is being caused to convict prisoners. Further, it is the officials who are going to be benefited by the yoga classes. If any prohibition has been made by any of the authorities for yoga classes of the petitioner’s son, it is condemned and he shall be permitted to conduct yoga, classes as usual.”
The matter relates to a contempt of court petition filed by Amutha, whose son had been convicted for life imprisonment for murder as well as offences punishable under the Arms Act. She had cited non-compliance of the division bench’s order dated September 26, 2018, referring to a Supreme Court order and directing the superintendent of the Central Prison at Salem to make proposal/recommendation of the representation made by the petitioner for premature release to the competent authority within six weeks.
Passing interim orders on contempt petition from Amutha, the bench stated that the order had not been obeyed by the authorities, prompting her to file the present contempt of court petition. During the hearing, it was brought to the judges’ notice that the convict had been conducting yoga classes for convict prisoners inside the jail for the past eight years helping the inmates to overcome the stress. The authorities, however, prohibited the yoga classes after the case was filed.
Taking serious note of this development, the bench passed the interim orders and posted the matter after summer vacation of the court for further proceedings.