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`Engage Tihar under-trials for work, pay wages'

Staff Reporter

Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice Manju Goel make suggestion

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has come out with a proposal for putting under-trials in the high-security Tihar Central Jail here to productive work on a remuneration basis.

As per the jail manual, only convicted prisoners are engaged for work and paid wages for the same. Under-trials have no work and most of them spend their time gossiping with fellow under-trials waiting decisions on their pending cases.

A Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice Manju Goel made this suggestion to the Delhi Government after a visit to the jail recently where they found under-trials sitting idle or gossiping with fellow under-trials.

The Bench directed the Government to consider the suggestion and get back to the Court with its response.

The Bench also issued a series of directions to improve the educational and mental conditions of the inmates and improve the civic and habitation conditions inside the jail.

The Director-General (Prisons) of the jail in his submission informed the Court that an amendment had carried out to the Delhi Prison Act whereby under-trials with the permission of Jail Superintendents concerned could also be assigned remunerative work.

Following his submission, the Bench directed the jail authorities to ascertain the views of under-trails regarding their desirability to work on a payment basis inside the jail at the time of taking their remand.

Some under-trials complained to the judges that they did scavenging and sweeping inside the jail but they were not paid any wage, as these services are not considered productive and revenue-generating.

Then, the Bench directed the jail authorities to put the under-trials on duty in the kitchen and factories inside the jail which have been declared productive and revenue-generating jobs in the jail manual.

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