District Judge seeks medical teams on priority
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, May 29: Following the directives of the Supreme Court for improving conditions in prisons, the authorities in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have instructed the Health Department to ensure periodic dental and overall medical check-ups for the inmates of District Jail Kupwara.
The move follows directions from the Chairperson of the District Legal Services Authority, Kupwara, who also heads the recently formed District Level Committee established under the Supreme Court’s directives to improve prison conditions in J&K.
In this regard, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Kupwara has been directed to deploy one dental surgeon to District Jail Kupwara to conduct periodical check-ups of the inmates starting from May 30 and every fifteen days thereafter.
“Deploy a medical team from Kupwara to conduct a check-up for skin and waterborne diseases spreading among the inmates in District Jail Kupwara immediately,” the directives issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara stated.
The directives noted that the Supreme Court of India, in the case titled ‘Re-Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons vs. Union of India & Ors’, is monitoring the situation closely, and early action in this matter shall be highly appreciated. “The action taken report/compliance report should be shared soon after issuing the above orders.”
It added: “…the District and Sessions Judge of Kupwara, as Chairperson of the District Legal Services Authority Kupwara, has requested that the…facilities be provided to District Jail Kupwara on a priority basis.”
It is noteworthy that following the Supreme Court’s directive related to the case seeking improved prison conditions, the J&K administration earlier formed 5-member district-level committees headed by the concerned District Judge.
These committees are tasked with assessing the available infrastructure and current capacity of existing jails and determining the need for constructing more jails in the district or enhancing the capacity of existing jails to meet the standards laid down in the Model Prison Manual, 2016.
The expert committees will also consider implementing steps to incorporate Artificial Intelligence and introduce video conferencing for conducting Mulakaats and telemedicine facilities for the ease of the inmates.
Furthermore, these committees will initiate steps to examine the need for expanding existing jails and acquiring land to set up new jails within the district, depending on the current capacity, occupancy, and future demands of the district, and come up with firm proposals.
Interestingly, the district committees have also been tasked to examine the needs of the district(s) and formulate proposals beyond those laid down in the Model Prison Manual. “However, the minimum requirements prescribed under the said Manual shall not be compromised. Future projections shall span at least 50 years for implementation,” reads the order.
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