The Supreme Court on September 25, 2018 constituted a three-member committee to look into the problems of jails in India and suggest reform measures.
The committee headed by former SC judge Justice Amitava Roy will look into the aspect of jail reforms across the country and suggest measures to deal with them.
• The committee, chaired by SC judge Amitava Roy, would comprise two officials from the Union Government. • The committee’s duties will include looking into the problems of jails across the country including overcrowding in prisons, issue of human rights of prisoners and issues concerning women prisoners languishing in cells for years. After studying the problems, the committee would be required to suggest measures to deal with them. • The Supreme Court had on August 27 reserved its order on the issue of constituting a committee to deal with issues pertaining to jails and suggest reforms for prisons across the country. |
Background
• The Supreme Court had said on August 8, 2018 that it would constitute a committee under the chairmanship of its retired judge to look into the problems in jails, on a day-to-day basis and suggest measures to tackle the problems.
• The SC bench comprising Justices M B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta had expressed its displeasure saying that the government had collected a huge amount under the orders of the apex court but the funds were not being utilised properly.
• The Attorney General K K Venugopal had also agreed with the court on setting up a committee for jail reforms.
• The court had earlier expressed its displeasure that several states had not yet appointed the board of visitors who regularly inspect prisons to ensure that they are being run in accordance with the rules.
• The court had also earlier passed a slew of directions over unnatural deaths in jails and on prison reforms across India.
• The bench was hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across India.
Important Current Affairs of August 2018
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