April 24, 2019:
The Delhi High Court Tuesday issued notice on a PIL, which sought directions to the Delhi government to appoint one law officer in every jail in the capital in a time-bound manner.
A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup J Bhambhani also sought the stand of the Delhi government and Director General (Prisons) before August 29, the next date of hearing.
The court was hearing a plea by advocate-activist Amit Sahni, seeking the enforcement and compliance of Section 6 of the Delhi Prisons Act, 2000, in a time-bound manner. The section mandates the appointment of a law officer for every jail.
Law officers supervise all legal matters, report day-to-day outcomes of court cases, appear in court along with the government counsel, and ensure each convict gets timely and free legal aid in an appropriate manner. The section also mandates that there be a superintendent, deputy superintendent, a medical officer, and welfare officer for every jail.
In his plea, Sahni said that from August 2016 to February 2019 no law officer was appointed at the prison headquarters, and legal affairs were being dealt with by an officer equivalent to the rank of a deputy superintendent.
As per the plea, there are 16 jails in Delhi — nine at the Tihar prison complex, one at the Rohini prison complex and six at the Mandoli prison complex.
The petition said Section 6 was being complied with in every aspect, except in the appointment of law officers. It added that currently, there is only one law officer for all 16 jails.
The plea contended that Delhi’s jails are overcrowded, and a law officer for every prison would result in better administration.
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