NHRC issues notice to Bihar govt over poor state prisons

National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Bihar government over the reported deplorable conditions prevailing in the prisons of the state.
Taking suo motu cognizance of a media report highlighting an exhaustive report titled 'Prisons of Bihar:- Status Report 2015' prepared by activist and researcher, Smita Chakraburty, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Prisons, Government of Bihar and asked for a response within four weeks.
Smita Chakraburty was assigned the project by Justice V N Sinha, Judge of Patna High Court and Executive Chairman, Bihar State Legal Services Authority and asked to visit all the 58 prisons of Bihar to study the living conditions and submit a report.

"Although it is not oblivious of the ills plaguing the prison system in the country as a whole, the present cover story discloses gross violation of human rights of the prisoners who are under the care and custody of the state," observed the Commission.
Reportedly, Chakraburty interviewed as many as 30,070 inmates during the course of her study. The final report was released on November, 15, 2015.
The report is stated to be an eye opener and throws light on the denial of basic human rights of prisoners in Bihar and points to the urgent need for prison reforms across the country.

It highlights absence of medical facilities in prisons, particularly for women, bias against terror accused and under trials by denying them even the copies of charge sheets of the cases against them. Instances of forced labour by under trials which is punishable under IPC and need of medical and psychiatric help to the inmates were also underlined in the report.
The exhaustive study also brought to the fore issues of punishment of prisoners under the discretionary powers provided by the Prison Manual Rules without supervision by an appellate body. Denial of free legal aid counsel to under trials was also talked about, as it pointed out that very few advocates meet the under trials in the court and they go unrepresented when produced before the Magistrate.