ILNS: The Supreme Court will tomorrow hear the suo motu writ petition for dealing with the crisis arising out of coronavirus in prisons and remand homes.
The bench of Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice Surya Kant will take up the matter tomorrow.
Earlier, the bench of the then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Surya Kant had passed a slew of directions in the matter.
“Each State/Union Territory shall constitute a High-Powered Committee, comprising (i) Chairman of the State Legal Services Committee, (ii) the Principal Secretary (Home/Prisons) by whatever designation is known as, and (iii) Director General of Prisons, to consider the release of Prisoners, who have been convicted or are undertrial for offences, for which the prescribed punishment is up to seven years or less,” the apex court had directed.
The committee had also directed the authorities to take precautionary measures to ensure the safe conveyance of Under Trial Prisoners and release them on an urgent basis on receipt of bail orders.