Plea in Delhi HC claims SRB meetings not being held regularly

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the AAP government's stand on a plea claiming that meetings of Sentence Review Board (SRB) are not being held every quarter despite judicial orders to do so.

Justice A K Chawla asked the Delhi government's Home Department, SRB and the prison authority to file a status report in response to the petition which has sought contempt action against them for alleged non-compliance of high court's direction to hold the board's meetings as per Delhi Prison Rules.

The plea by Amit Sahni, a lawyer and social activist, has claimed that according to the Delhi Prison Rules of 2018 SRB meetings have to be held every quarter.

He contended in the petition that the high court on October 21 last year had directed that SRB meetings be held in accordance with the prison rules.

He told the court that since the October order, not a single meeting has been held till date and it amounts to "wilful disobedience" of judicial orders and has sought contempt of court action against the officials concerned, including AAP MLA Satyendar Kumar Jain who is the chairman of the SRB.

Sahni has claimed that the SRB chairperson has the power to hold meetings more frequently than just every quarter, but Jain was not doing so.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 5.