Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 6: Government informed the High Court today that the detenues are being shifted outside the State while considering the internal security concerns and due to lack of adequate infrastructure and\ dilapidated conditions in certain jails as also concern of overcrowding.
Hearing a petition filed by lawyers’ body seeking striking down of last year’s amendment to the Public Safety Act, the Division Bench of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Justice Sanjeev Kumar gave some time to petitioner-body to respond to the affidavit of Home Department giving reasons as to why the detenues are being shifted outside the State.
The affidavit has been filed by the Deputy Secretary of Home Department in opposition to the petition challenging the amendment made in the J&K Public Safety Act under which detenues are being shifted and lodged to outside jails.
The Deputy Secretary, in his affidavit stated that during past few months, considering the internal security concerns based on specific inputs of various agencies and with a view to de-congesting certain Jails, a number of prisoners were shifted to Jammu based Jails from Kashmir.
He added that the State Government with a view to further decongest the different jails of the State has filed applications in the Supreme Court praying therein for shifting of trial of various under-trial prisoners facing trial in the State to any other State.
The lawyers body had sought quashing of amendment to the PSA and further prayed that all the permanent residents of State, detained under the provisions of J&K Public Safety Act be lodged in the jails of the State, located near their places of residence.
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