TS govt directed to probe deaths in jails

The PIL bench of the High Court at Hyderabad on Monday directed the Principal Secretary of the Telangana government to enquire into the facts relating to the death of inmates at the jails in the city. The bench disposed of a writ plea filed by M Salahuddin Ayub seeking a declaration that the omissions/commissions of the prison authorities in not extending medical facilities to the prison inmates resulting in their deaths as illegal, arbitrary and violative of Article 21 of the Constitution and the said authorities shall be made liable for the same.

The bench found that indeed the prison authorities had not filled up the number of vacancies of medical doctors and that the same was done only after filing the writ petition. The bench speaking through the Chief Justice pointed out that while it was the Principal Secretary to conduct an enquiry in this regard and take corrective steps, he opined that compensation could not be paid at the instance of the writ petitioner.

While disposing off the plea, the bench directed the authorities to hold enquiry and take action according to the law against the officers for the deaths. Haragopal’s writ dismissed The bench also refused to take on file a writ plea filed by Prof G Haragopal questioning the action of the authorities including the courts in not disposing off the criminal appeals filed by life convicts who were lodged in Cherlapally Central Prison and other prisons in the State of Telangana and the State of Andhra Pradesh for the past more than 4 years as illegal, arbitrary and in gross violation of rights guaranteed under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India by further declaring that the right to speedy trial held is invaluable right as guaranteed to the life convicts as interpreted by the Supreme Court.

The bench said that such relief could be sought by the individual convicts. The bench accordingly left it open to the individual convicts to move the appropriate court.