CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu prisons department to provide treatment to seven prisoners who suffered injuries after being allegedly assaulted by warders of the Coimbatore Central Prison.
The order was passed recently by a bench of Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel on a habeas corpus petition filed by Gangaiammal of Thiruppuvanam in Sivaganga district.
"We direct the second respondent (DGP, Prisons) to ensure that the prison inmates are taken to the government medical college and hospital, Coimbatore, for medical examination and also be given medical aid if required," the bench said. They can also be admitted as in-patients if necessary, the court said.
The bench also directed additional public prosecutor (APP), appearing for the state, to submit the medical reports of the prisoners in court on Friday.
The petitioner had alleged that her son Dinesh, and six others, Ayyanar, Udhayakumar, Kishor, Alagarsamy, Harikaran and Aravinth, were assaulted by the warders of the Coimbatore Central Prison on September 21, 2023. The severely injured prisoners were not provided proper medical treatment, Gangaiammal said in her plea, and sought orders to take them to hospital for providing necessary treatment.
The (APP), however, said the prisoners had assaulted four warders and inflicted injuries on them.
The court then ordered the APP to produce the medical certificates of the warders.
The seven prisoners were arrested by the Sivaganga Town Police in a case of attempt to murder and criminal intimidation and were remanded in judicial custody.