Mumbai: Death row convicts will now be allowed a ten mins phone call

Following a request made by death row convict Faisal Shaikh, to be allowed to speak to his mother over the phone after his father's demise, the prison authority has amended its rules and now will allow every death row convict a phone call if his/her blood relative expires.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice A S Gadkari were informed about the amendment brought in the prison rules related to allowing convicts to use phone inside a prison. Yerwada prison officials also informed that according to the changed rules, Shaikh was allowed to speak to his mother for ten minutes using the public telephone placed inside the prison for convicts.

Shaikh had sought to speak to his mother over the phone from inside prison. Shaikh is held guilty for being a key conspirator in 2006 serial train bombings.
Earlier, death row convicts were not allowed phone calls, but the new circular reads, on humanitarian grounds the rules stand changed and the convicts can make a ten minutes phone call to speak to his/her family members.

Before, the court had rejected emergency parole leave sought by Shaikh, but directed prison authorities to consider his application for a phone call. The application was made on January 14, soon after the prison authorities had rejected his parole application.

The bench had on being informed that the phone call application was not allowed said, "We are surprised to note that this application is kept pending since January 14, 2019. Considering the nature of the request, immediate consideration of the said application was mandatory."

Shaikh is one of the 12 convicted in the 2006 serial train bombing case. He is alleged to have worked with the wanted accused Azam Cheema, LeT commander in chief. He received arms training in Pakistan. The serial blasts, all seven in a span of 11 minutes, on suburban trains in Mumbai, had claimed 188 lives and left 817 injured.