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250 undertrial prisoners languishing in jail
Around 250 prisoners including those coming from outside, are languishing in Central Prison for years due to poverty and lack of local support. According to latest data, the Central Prison has 1,376 prisoners and of them, 550 were remanded on charges of smuggling ganja which include 51 women.
Visakhapatnam: Around 250 prisoners including those coming from outside, are languishing in Central Prison for years due to poverty and lack of local support. According to latest data, the Central Prison has 1,376 prisoners and of them, 550 were remanded on charges of smuggling ganja which include 51 women.
Highlights:
- Innocent tribals arrested on the charges of smuggling must shell out Rs 2 lakh to get a bail
- Even if the District Legal Services Authority provides services, nobody is coming forward to provide surety
Tribal youth from the Agency, who are primarily responsible to get the contraband out of the deep forests are also struck in the prison due to lack of money.
The tribal youth make money on each trip but spend away on lavish life without keeping some amount for emergency situations. Prison sources said 180 members are from outside waiting for bail. According to sources, each prisoner arrested on the charges of smuggling must shell out Rs 2 lakh to get a bail. Apart from money, the outsiders also need local security to complete the formalities.
However, some prisoners are getting support from unknown Samaritans and being enlarged on bail. But all are not fortunate to win the freedom.
“Most of the prisoners are young and there is none to counsel them to give up trade nor support them financially to get out of the jail,’’ a source from Central Prison said.
Jail superintendent S Rahul said on an average 20 prisoners walk into their freedom but the unfortunate remains in the prison. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act) is very strict and laid down stringent condition for giving bail. He said under this Act on an average 20 to 25 persons are being brought to jail every day. In normal cases, the court considers bail after six months of judicial remand. But in case of NDPS, there is no such consideration.
“Even if the District Legal Services Authority provides them services, nobody is coming forward to provide surety. The court needs Rs 2 lakh cash as fee and two sureties to release prisoners on bail,’’ said district president of AP Civil Liberties Committee T Srirama Murthy.
He told The Hans India that half of the tribal youth are coming from Odisha and hence not finding any local sureties.
Father of a prisoner Siveri Rama said his son Siveri Santosh (name changed) gave his car to a friend who used it for carrying ganja in the Agency. He was arrested as the excise personnel presumed he was part of the gang.
“My son is innocent and he is also our family’s only earning member. We don’t have funds to meet our daily needs and how to get his bail which needs Rs 2 lakh and odd,’’ Siveri Rama said.
By Jatlee Dontala
