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Published 21 May, 2007 12:00am

HYDERABAD: AG issued notice over condition in prisons

HYDERABAD, May 20: The Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit bench, on Saturday issued notice to the Advocate-General Sindh for May 22 after going through reports from various sessions and additional session judges pertaining to pathetic conditions and serious violations of law and rules in jails.

The court has clubbed all the reports together and has treated them as a constitutional petition.

The court observed that in some cases fundamental human rights are being infringed and matters required to be dealt with in detail.

The visits by judges also included an interview with ex-DIG Mirpurkhas, Rana Saleemullah Khan, who complained with the First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mohammad Yamin Khan, that he was not being provided proper medical care despite being a cardiac patient and suffering from hypertension.

Mr.Justice Mohammad Moosa K.Leghari considered different hand-written applications, sent by under trial prisoners (UTPs) languishing in different jails, containing details of different issues confronting the prisoners, including their non-production, inordinate delay in trial of cases, non-provision of medical facilities.

The judge passed a general directive on May 16, requiring the sessions judges to pay surprise visits or depute any of their ADJs to submit reports of their findings after visiting their respective jails.

Different kinds of complaints were made by UTPs as well as convicts to the visiting judges. In one such instance, the First Additional District and Sessions Judge, Hyderabad, during his visit to central prison directed production of UTPs before courts. He directed the AIG prisons to be careful in this regard.

The District and Sessions Judge Sanghar, Mrs.Kausar Sultana, found that dirty water was being supplied to kitchen of district jail .

According to report of senior civil judge/assistant sessions judge along with judicial magistrate of Tando Adam, the building of sub-jail Tando Adam, is in dilapidated condition which could collapse at any time.

The existing structure of sub-jail of Shahdadpur is not suitable for UTPs whereas remaining barracks of sub-jail are in dangerous condition.

Some UTPs of Dadu jail complained that their cases were pending in Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mehar which is lying vacant and their cases are not being proceeded.

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