CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has set June 28 deadline for the State government to come up with a detailed action plan for dealing with the problem of overcrowding in jails during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The vacation court heard a PIL on human rights issues related to jail inmates in the State on Monday.
The High Court attention was drawn to the issue of overcrowding in six jails - district jail in Phulbani, special sub-jail in Bhadrak and the sub-jails at Nayagarh, Parlakhemundi and Malkangiri - by amicus curiae Gautam Mishra.
Situation is worse in Bhadrak special sub-jail where against the capacity of 166 inmates, there are over 430 prisoners now, Mishra said.
The vacation bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Savitri Ratho said in the pandemic, overcrowding in hails can pose a serious risk to health and safety of the prisoners as well as the jail staff.
“The Court directs the State of Odisha to place before it, by the next date, a detailed action plan for dealing with this grave situation which requires immediate attention.
There is an urgent need to decongest the jails and to accommodate the prisoners in excess of the holding capacity of the jail concerned to other safe and secure premises in a phased manner, which could be done by upgrading other state buildings/facilities to meet the requirements of prisons”, the vacation bench said in its order.
The amicus curiae had drawn the vacation court’s attention to the overcrowding in jails during the pandemic citing the Supreme Court order on May 7, 2021.