NHRC seminar to review implementation of prison reforms

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will organise a two-day seminar beginning November 13 here to check the status of implementation of its recommendations on prison reforms.
In a similar event organised by the Commission on April 2011, it had made several recommendations on prison reforms.
The aim of the fresh seminar is to assess the status of the implementation of the recommendations made in the earlier meet and to discuss what further steps need to be taken to improve prisoners' condition and prison administration from human rights perspective.
Senior representatives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, State Home Secretaries, DG/IG (Prisons) of States/UTs, State Human Rights Commissions and members of the civil society will participate in the seminar.

NHRC expressed concern over the condition of the prisons, "plagued with numerous problems like severe overcrowding, under-staffing, lack of adequate medical care, physical maltreatment of prisoners including custodial deaths, lack of infrastructure, poor administration and inadequate inter-agency communication".
The Commission in its official statement also said that the century-old Prisons Act, 1894, "does not appear to be in tune with the entirely transformed picture of human society" in "the changed socio-political scenario".
"The Supreme Court of India, by interpreting Article 21 of the Constitution, has developed human rights jurisprudence for the preservation and protection of prisoners' rights to maintain human dignity.

"Although, it is clearly mentioned that depriving a person of his life or personal liberty is justifiable according to procedure established by law, this procedure cannot be arbitrary, unfair or unreasonable," the statement added.