The Kashmir Bar Association has informed the High Court that the condition of jails in the state has not improved despite several orders issued by the court in this direction since June 2011.
On behalf of the lawyer’s body, advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom submitted that “all these orders are of no avail” as nothing on the ground has changed as far as the issues related to jail conditions are involved”.
Senior additional advocate general BA Dar, however, told the court the issues pointed out were being examined by the authorities concerned for taking necessary steps to improve jail conditions.
The bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, while hearing two Public Interest Litigations, observed that certain reports filed by district judges had not been made available to the counsels representing the parties.
The bench directed its Registry to make available copies of the reports to all the counsels.
“Let the same be examined and submissions be made by the learned counsels for the parties before us on the next date of hearing,” the bench said.
In regard to the suo moto PIL relating to condition of jails and undertrials lodged in various jails of Jammu and Kashmir, the court asked the counsels representing the parties to take steps for obtaining a copy of the draft jail manual prepared by member secretary Delhi Legal Services Authority.
The Kashmir Bar Association has filed a Public Interest Litigation in the court seeking to improve jail conditions in Jammu and Kashmir.
In 2017, the High Court registered directions of the Supreme Court, which were delivered in a case titled “Inhuman conditions in 1382 prisons”, as suo moto PIL and issued directions to the Government of India as well as Jammu and Kashmir government.