Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has directed four northeastern states – Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh – to file comprehensive affidavits addressing all the issues highlighted in a committee’s inspection report on the condition of central and district jails across these states.
An affidavit had earlier been filed on behalf of the Registrar General of the High Court on August 20, 2024, as part of a writ petition on the matter. This affidavit included a report from an inspection conducted by a committee comprising the Member Secretary of the Assam State Legal Services Authority, the DIG (Prison) Guwahati Range, and the DIG (Prison) Jorhat Range. The inspection assessed the state of various central and district jails in Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
“Learned counsels representing the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh are directed to file their respective comprehensive affidavits addressing all the issues highlighted by the committee in its inspection report, which is annexed to the affidavit filed on behalf of the Registrar General of the Gauhati High Court on August 20, 2024,” observed the division bench comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami.
The court further stated, “The affidavits shall detail the measures taken by the four states in response to the recommendations made by the committee. If those recommendations have not yet been implemented, the affidavits must specify the timeline for their implementation.”
The committee’s inspection report revealed that the overall condition of jails in these four states was not satisfactory. The report also included specific recommendations aimed at improving the situation.
The Court noted that none of the four states had responded to the affidavit filed by the Registrar General of the High Court. Subsequently, the states were directed to submit their respective affidavits addressing the issues highlighted in the inspection report.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on January 29, 2025.
“By that time, the affidavits on behalf of all the four states will be filed positively,” the Court ordered.
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