The Gujarat High Court today directed the the state government to submit details of medicines purchased and disbursed to prisonsers in the last two years.
The court acted after taking suo motu cognisance of a report filed by an Additional District Magistrate of Rajkot who had submitted that prisoners are not given medicines.
The Gujarat High Court's division bench took notice of his report and took up the issue as a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL).
The division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala directed Gujarat government's Health and Family Welfare department to submit details of medicines purchased and disbursed to prisoners during the last two years.
After issuing a notice to the state government, the high court posted the matter for further hearing on August 5.
Amicus Curiae ("friend of the court") in the case Advocate Hemang Shah said an additional district magistrate has to inspect the jail as per the Supreme Court guidelines to ensure that proper treatment is given to prisoners.
"During one such inspection, an Additional District Judge of Rajkot found that prisoners are not given proper facilities and he broght it to the notice of the Gujarat high court," Shah said.
Though the issue pertained only to a Rajkot-based jail, the suo-motu petition has covered all jails in Gujarat.
