THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Prisons Department’s attempt to keep a tab on those visiting inmates has come in for flak. The authorities want visitors to furnish their Aadhaar details, a move criticised by lawyers and relatives over privacy fears.
In February, DGP (prisons) R Sreelekha had issued a circular, making it mandatory for visitors to submit their Aadhaar details while meeting prison inmates as well as link their Aadhaar number with their phone number if they wanted to contact the prisoners via telephone. The order was based on guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) last year to strengthen security at prisons.
However, the Prisons Department has kept the circular on hold due to criticism from relatives and lawyers, sources said. As per the guidelines, jail authorities have been asked not to compromise on security and ensure transparency in communication between the inmates and their visitors.
Considering that 119 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued, which covers over 99 per cent of the adult population, it is advised the use of Aadhaar for identification of the visitors in prisons may be implemented to ensure only authorised individuals could avail of such a facility, the MHA guidelines said.
Sreelekha told Express even though the order was issued in February, it has not been implemented as the Supreme Court is yet to consider the linkage of Aadhaar with an individual’s phone number. “Apart from the MHA’s order, we also received reports many people are coming to visit prisoners without any authenticity. So, I had issued a circular. But we did not impose it strictly and I have asked the officers to collect any ID proof from those visiting jails,” she said.
However, sources said the DGP was forced to keep the order on hold because of criticism from various quarters.A lawyer, on the condition of anonymity, said: “Recently, the authorities at Poojappura central jail informed us we should submit Aadhaar copies. The rules allow prisoners to use the land phone to make calls twice a week. There are also phone cards provided to prisoners to call their relatives and lawyers every month. At a time when the entire nation is discussing the leaking of Aadhaar data, is it safe for us to submit the data to a prison authority? The authorities have kept the order on hold due to our complaints. If they go ahead with the circular, we will take up the matter seriously.”