Saturday, August 3, 2019

Karnataka to HC: 41 children are with their prisoner-mothers
There are 641 women prisoners; overcrowding in State prisons pegged at 11%


03/08/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,BENGALURU



There are 41 children — 24 boys and 17 girls — below the age of six accompanying their mothers in 12 prisons of the State, the government informed the High Court of Karnataka on Friday.

While pointing out that there are 641 women prisoners — 437 undertrials and 204 convicted, the Superintendent of Prisons, Headquarters, office of the Director-General of Prisons and Correctional Services, stated in an affidavit that diet and clothing to the children in the age groups of zero to three and three to six, and facilities to pregnant and lactating women prisoners have been provided by amending the Karnataka Prison Rules and Manuals in 2006 on the directions of the Supreme Court.

The affidavit was filed before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice A.S. Bellunke during the hearing of a PIL petition, initiated suo motu by the High Court on the issues of overcrowding of prisons, medical and other facilities available for prisoners, including women prisoners, etc.

While pointing out that authorised capacity of nine central prisons, 21 district prisons, 29 taluk prisons and one open prison is 13,622, it has been stated in the affidavit that total inmates lodged in these prisons as on July 22, 2019 is 15,257, which amounts to overall overcrowding of 11%.

However, the percentage of overcrowding in individual central and district prisons ranges between 101 and 276 against the actual capacity of each prison. While Raichur district prison has overcrowding of 101%, Gadag district prison as the highest overcrowding of 267%. The overcrowding is 160% in Bengaluru Central Prison, 168% in Mysuru Central Prison, 193% in Vijayapura Central Prison, and 173% in Kalaburagi Central Prison.

Apart from allowing interview facilities for prisoners, landline phones are provided for communication as per the Prison Manuals and Rules, and a proposal for video calling facility with family members was submitted to the government in December 2018, the affidavit stated.

New diet for prisoners was introduced in 2014 by providing varieties of breakfasts, midday and evening meals for labouring adult and non-labouring adults, and special diet such as mutton once a week for non-vegetarian prisoners, sweets for vegetarians, and fish meal in coastal areas is being provided. Steam cooking units have been installed in central and district prisons, it was stated in the affidavit.

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