The court noted that none of the states, including Assam, had responded to the Registrar General’s affidavit
GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has instructed the Assam government to submit comprehensive affidavits addressing the issues raised in an inspection report on the condition of its central and district jails. This directive has also been applied to the governments of Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
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The order comes in response to a writ petition concerning the state of jails in the region. On August 20, an affidavit filed on behalf of the High Court’s Registrar General included an inspection report prepared 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 report, annexed to the affidavit, pointed out that the overall condition of jails in the four northeastern states, including Assam, has been found unsatisfactory. It included specific recommendations to improve the infrastructure, inmate facilities, and administrative systems.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami ordered the states to detail measures undertaken to rectify deficiencies outlined in the report. “The affidavits shall address all issues raised in the inspection report and provide timelines for implementing the committee’s recommendations if they have not yet been acted upon,” the court directed.
The court further noted that none of the states, including Assam, had responded to the Registrar General’s affidavit. As a result, the bench directed the states to file their affidavits by January 29, when the matter will be heard again.