Allahabad High Court seeks affidavit of UP DG( Prisons) in PIL seeking jail reforms

The Allahabad High Court has recently directed the Director General (Prisons) of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow to examine all the issues raised in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking reforms in jails and file his affidavit covering all the issues on or before March 23, 2023. 

The bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi was dealing with a PIL filed by one Sachidanand that raised multiple issues relating to reforms in jails and the manner in which jails are being administered.

The plea also sought direction for adherence to the policy of transfer of Group-C and Group-D employees who are posted in district jails stating that "it will ensure that they do not get personally involved with prisoners who have been serving sentences or are serving incarceration for a long duration".

The petitioner alleged that jail officials posted in different jails in the State have not been transferred in some cases for more than seven years.

The court was also apprised that in a few cases, despite transfer orders having already been passed several years back, the incumbents had not been relieved for reasons best known to the responsible authorities. 

The petitioner alleged that this particular negligence in the timely transfer is leading to unfair practices and corruption.

In the PIL, a counter affidavit had been filed earlier by the Senior Superintendent, Central Jail, Naini. The affidavit sought to explain how the transfer policy is being implemented. 

However, the division bench did not find the said affidavit satisfactory. Accordingly, the court opined that it requires the affidavit of the Uttar Pradesh DG(Prisons) in the PIL to better explain the transfer policy implementation.

Case Title: Sachidanand v. State of U.P. and Another