HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court has issued notices to the Telangana government asking to file counter affidavit within four weeks in a PIL filed seeking release of 180 under-trial prisoners who have been languishing in different jails of the state despite getting bail orders. Of them, 80 were languishing in Chanchalguda prison.
The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K Vijaya Lakshmi was passing this order recently in a PIL by Dr Murali Karnam seeking directions to the authorities concerned to formulate guidelines in accordance with the orders passed by the Supreme Court and High Court in similar cases.
Petitioner’s counsel D Suresh Kumar told the court that despite obtaining bails from the trial courts they could not avail the benefit due to poverty. They were forced to remain undertrial prisoners as no one is coming forward to provide surety for their release. Of the 180 under-trial prisoners, 50 of them were in jail since last two years. Even the prison authorities are not releasing them on the ground that the under-trial prisoners were not fulfilling the conditions imposed by the courts.