RANCHI: Expressing strong displeasure over the state government’s failure to fill vacancies in jails, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday directed the state and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) to complete the recruitment process within six months.
The Court asked the Home Secretary and the JSSC to submit status reports through affidavits by May 1. It also directed that the affidavits must be filed personally by the officials, cautioning against delegating the task to junior officers.
The Court warned that if the reports are not satisfactory, contempt proceedings may be initiated on the next date of hearing.
While hearing a Suo-moto PIL related to jail reforms and the implementation of the Model Jail Manual, a division bench of Chief Justice MS Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar observed that authorities were not providing accurate information and were instead delaying the process under the pretext of recruitment.
During the proceedings, it was informed to the court that over 81% of posts in Jharkhand jails are vacant, raising serious concerns about prison administration.
The state government and JSSC submitted that the recruitment process is in progress, with advertisements already issued for positions such as Assistant Jailers, Jail Wardens and Medical Nursing Staff, while requisitions for other posts have also been sought.
However, the court made it clear that delays in the recruitment process will not be tolerated, observing that repeated assurances without concrete action are unacceptable.
The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for May 7.
Notably, the PIL was initiated on directions of the Supreme Court which had issued instructions to all the High Courts in the country to monitor the condition of jail inmates in their respective states.
Following the instructions, the Jharkhand High Court initiated the PIL in 2015 and has been monitoring the condition of jail inmates across the state.