NEW DELHI: Public Interest Litigation against overcrowding of prisoners in Tihar jail has been withdrawn after the high court refused to entertain it and told the petitioner to come up with a better plea. Allowing the petitioner to withdraw his plea, a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said, “Do your homework and then file a fresh petition.”
The court said that even though the counsel is very vigilant, they need a better petition. The petition was moved by NGO- Nyaya Foundation in form of a public interest litigation (PIL) stating that the number of prisoners in the jail had exceeded the actual capacity of each cell and there is a huge increment in the total population of inmates in the complex.
The plea said that the fundamental rights of the inmates as per Article 21 of the Constitution of India, wherein a peaceful and dignified lifestyle of an individual is covered, is being violated by unnecessary overcrowding. The plea said the office of Director General of Prisons has stated that Tihar Jail has a capacity to house 5,200 inmates, but 13,183 prisoners are lodged in its facilities.