With a view to curtailing the special privileges to ‘VIP’ convicts in prisons, the Kerala high court has initiated suo moto proceedings and asked the state to expedite jail reforms of the kind suggested by director general of prisons, Alexander Jacob.
The reforms relate to effective management of illegal practices and privileges extended to those coming from the higher strata of the society.
Justice N. K. Balakrishnan issued the directive when the director general of prosecutions submitted the suggestions of the ADGP Alexander Jacob towards improving the jail system.
The court initiated suo mottu proceedings after noticing that several cases of special treatments and undue privileges were being extended to convicts, mainly political prisoners.
The ADGP, in his note, sought the state’s permission to conduct effective and frequent searches in jails by reserve squads headed by an officer in the rank of SP. Also, modern equipment like body scanners should be installed at the main gates of every jail to check illegal trafficking of contraband articles such as ganja.
He said the hospitals attached to the central prisons should to be equipped with modern facilities. The services of special doctors are to be made available to jails, so as to ensure that prisoners didn’t misuse the provision for outside hospital facilities.
Shortage of staff contributed to the illegal activities. According to the ADGP, the prisons department has 204 vacant posts, out of the total 1,368 posts.