The Supreme Court on Friday granted six months’ time to the Committee on Prison Reforms headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Amitava Roy to submit its final report.
The Division Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B.R. Gavai was hearing an application by the Centre seeking expedition of the process and directions to the committee to submit a final report within two months.
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“Having gone through the note and after hearing the Ld. Attorney General, we request the Committee to submit its final report six months from today. List the matter thereafter.”
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal submitted that violating the order dated 25.09.2018, the Justice Roy committee has failed to furnish a final report within 12 months and now 3 years and 5 months have passed.
Venugopal further argued that Covid cannot be taken as an excuse for delay in report as 2 of the 4 reports have been furnished during the pandemic.
According to the AGI’s submission the (Prisons, reformatories, Borstal institutions and other institutions of a like nature, and persons detained therein; arrangements with other States for the use of prisons and other institutions) is pertaining to Entry 4 list 2 and it is a subject for the state.
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Advocate and Amicus Curiae Gaurav Agrawal submitted that some reports are still pending and will be completed within a period of 6 months and requested the court to grant the above-mentioned time.
The petition arose out of a letter dated June 13, 2013 to the Chief Justice of India relating to the disturbing conditions of 1382 prisons in India relying on a story which had appeared in Dainik Bhaskar on March 24, 2013. The letter had been written by R.C. Lahoti, former Chief Justice of India.
Justice Lahoti had pointed out in his letter the inadequacy of reformative schemes for offenders and other prominent issues which were covered by the newspaper in its story viz., overcrowding of prisons, unnatural death of prisoners, the inadequacy of prison staff and present staff not being adequately or properly trained.
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On September 25, 2018, the top court had constituted a three-member committee, headed by Justice Amitava Roy, to look into jail reforms across India and make recommendations on several aspects, including overcrowding.