The Gujarat government has put in lots of effort in recent times to improve the conditions in jails across the state.
The Gujarat government has put in lots of effort in recent times to improve the conditions in jails across the state. The emphasis has been on jail reforms and the government has also provided video conferencing facility to jails to link them to courts. But, what must be haunting the government is the high number of prisoners - both convicted and under-trial - who have fled from the jails.
Official figures put the number of those who have escaped from prison at 840 till June, 2009. Sabarmati jail, the largest jail in Gujarat, tops the list with as many as 420 inmates on the loose.
Gujarat high court had some time back taken serious note of prisoners jumping parole and furlough. The court had sought action taken report from the state home department on the issue. The official data says 200 inmates have fled from Sabarmati jail by jumping furlough. The statewide figure in this regard is 325. Every convict, it may be mentioned here, is entitled to get certain days of furlough during his stay in the jail.
The under-trials are also misusing the benefit of temporary bail. As many as 220 prisoners in the state have not returned to jails after getting temporary bail from the court. Again, the Sabarmati jail tops the chart, with 125 under-trials absconding.
Over 140 prisoners are absconding by jumping the parole granted by various courts of the state. Parole is the temporary leave granted to prisoner by the court for specific reasons such as illness, social function, for taking care of family members or any other sustainable purpose. It is not counted in the sentence of the prisoner.
Another 90 inmates have fled from the police escort while being taken out of the jail for production in court, while over 55 inmates have fled from the jail premises. It is pertinent to note here that the state has established video conferencing system linking various jails to the court in districts like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Vadodara.
The system was introduced following a high court order to ensure that dreaded criminals and under-trials do not flee by dodging the police escort and also to save the expenditure on producing prisoners in courts.
About a couple of month ago Justice Prasad had summoned VV Rabari, ADGP and head of the CID crime, Ashish Bhatia, IG (law & order), Keshav Kumar (IG, prisons), and V Chandrashekhar, superintendent of the Sabarmati jail, over the issue and the top cops had to incur the wrath of the court. The police officers were summoned after Justice Prasad found that many jail inmates were roaming free by jumping parole or furlough and the courts were facing hurdles in delivering judgments.
The state government then set up a special cell which issued a circular directing all police stations to register cases against absconders and do the needful at the earliest. The cell needs to submit status report before the high court about the action taken to nab the absconders. However, recently Justice Prasad criticised the inaction on part of the police department.
When contacted, IG (prisons), Keshav Kumar said, "After a prisoner jumps parole or furlough, the jail officials lodge a complaint against the prisoner in the police station concerned and now it is duty of the police to nab the absconders."
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