CHENNAI: Complying with a recent high court order, the state government on Monday directed the prison authorities to abolish the orderly system in the residences of senior officials. The directions follow a previous G.O. barring the use of police personnel for similar purposes.
Additional Chief Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, in a statement, affirmed that the latest order is in accordance with the court directions. The Madras High Court, in a ruling on November 6, called for the complete abolition of the orderly system in prisons, building upon a policy already implemented in the police department.
The court had instructed the Director General of Police to ensure compliance with its interim order, which prohibits the deployment of uniformed personnel for personal or residential duties at police officials’ homes.
The November 6 ruling also addressed staffing shortages at Central Prison-II in Puzhal, Chennai, sanctioning 203 new prison warder posts to maintain the mandated one-guard-to-six-prisoner ratio. The warders will work three shifts, with 60 officers per shift. However, allegations surfaced that some guards were being diverted for non-official duties at senior prison officials’ residences.
The government has ordered an inquiry into the matter, with assistance from the Crime Branch CID or the Intelligence Wing.
Any prison authority violating the directive will face action. Additionally, the government has instructed the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to withdraw uniformed personnel from the residences of retired officials and reassign them to official prison duties.