To check Covid-19 spread, inmates can’t meet kin

Gurgaon: To check the spread of Covid-19 infection inside the district jail, a city court has directed jail authorities to discontinue the physical meeting of inmates with their family members. The jail authorities were directed to make arrangements for digital meeting through video-conferencing. The court has also directed to extend the interim bail and parole till August 31 of those convicted and facing trials in cases with maximum punishment upto seven-year.
In May last year, worried over the spread of Covid19 infection inside the prisons, the union ministry of home affairs has issued guidelines to stop “Mulaqats” between inmates and their family members till the time pandemic is controlled. In January this year, Bhondsi jail, which has around 2000 inmates, had started virtual meetings of inmates with their family members. The facility allows inmates to come face to face with the family members through video conferencing. Many other jails of the state do not have such a facility.
In March 2020, 2,580 inmates were released on special parole. Similarly 2,094 prisoners, including 656 convicts and 1,438 undertrials who are convicted or facing trials in the cases with maximum punishment of 7 years were released on interim bail.