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Videoconferencing to be set up in jails

Correspondent

It will speed up judgments in criminal cases

CUTTACK: Preparations are on a full swing to set up studios in three jails of the State to facilitate video conferencing that will expedite the judgments on criminal cases in the courts.

The inspector general (IG) of prisons recently obtained permissions from the State High Court to set up studios for the purpose in Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar, circle jail in Choudwar near here and the district jail in Berhampur.

Official sources indicated that the facilities would be in place soon at these jails following which the under-trial prisoners (UTPs) would no more be escorted to courts from jails for trial.

Most of the time the local police were finding it difficult to escort the UTPs from jails to courts for trial of their cases.

Meanwhile, the HC has also asked the IG prison and different district judges to submit the list of jails and sub-jails in their respective jurisdictions for extending the facilities to some more jails. It is learnt that the jails in Baripada, Sambalpur and Rourkela would soon have the video conferencing facilities.

As per the programme, a dedicated video conferencing rooms would be set up in all district courts to facilitate the magistrates to hear the prisoners, who would depose from their respective jails. The risk of escorting hardcore criminals to courts would now be a thing of past.

It is learnt that all the 140 prisons and correctional centers of the State have some 15,000 inmates against the capacity of 9,000.

The UTPs constitute one-third of the total prisoners, official sources said.

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