Srinagar: J&K’s Director General of Prisons has furnished details to the High Court indicating the number of prisoners and under trials lodged in jails with existing conditions and the inmate capacity of each Jail in Jammu and Kashmir.
In terms of order dated 23.05.2022, the Director General of Prisons has filed the affidavit divulging the details on condition of J&K Jails.
Hearing on its own motion a Public Interest Litigation related to Jails, a division bench of Chief Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey and Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul noted that the compliance so submitted revealed that the authorities have “already undertaken updation of the required facilities for the inmates and under trials.”
In his report submitted in compliance to court direction, the DG prisons said that against lodgment capacity of 3578 in jails across J&K, 5048 inmates are currently lodged in the 14 jails.
The report indicates that the sanctioned capacity and lodgment against the capacity of 902 inmates in Central Jail Jammu Kotbalwal, is 1016 prisoners.
Similarly the report attests to figures that 722 are lodged against sanctioned capacity of 509 in central Jail Srinagar, 688 in district jail Jammu against capacity of 426, 358 in district jail Kathua against capacity of 275, 515 in district jail Udhampur against capacity of 292, 184 in district jail Bhaderwah against capacity of 152, 187 in District Jail against capacity of 152, 192 in district jail Poonch against capacity of 152, 336 in district jail Baramulla against capacity of 213, 320 in district jail Kupwara against capacity of 164, 178 in Special jail (correctional Home) Pulwama against capacity of 96, 86 in district jail Kishtwar against capacity of 68 and 67 in Sub jail Reasi against capacity of 26.
The report divulges that reducing the “overcrowding” is in the active consideration of the prisons department. “In this regard the department has submitted a proposal to Home Department for construction of 02 new jails viz Reasi and Bandipora with a capacity of lodgment of 350 & 232 respectively and the same is under consideration for administrative approval in the Home Department ''.
The government, the report says, has also transferred 148 kanals of land situated at Village Dambra, Kathua in favour of the Prisons Department for construction of High Security Jail.
Moreover, the report indicates that the department is expanding the existing jail by way of construction of more barracks within the jail premises, in order to enhance the sanction capacity and trying to reduce overcrowding. Construction works in most of the jails are still on toe.
