The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : A tearful deposition by prison inmates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 13, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

A tearful deposition by prison inmates

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI, JAN. 12. The December 26 tsunami has not spared even those incarcerated in the fort-like Chennai Central Prison. Tens of undertrial prisoners today made a tearful deposition before a visiting three-judge team, that their friends and relatives, who used to visit them periodically, had not turned up for two weeks now.

The Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) has identified 36 of the 2,106 inmates of the prison as affected by the tsunami and, hence entitled to claim relaxation of bail conditions such as execution of bond and furnishing of sureties. After taking into account the nature of the offence they are charged with, and their antecedents, eligible persons would be released on own bond and their bail pleas would be considered sympathetically.

Pursuant to the decision, the three-judge team comprising the Member-Secretary of the Authority, M. Jeyapaul; the presiding officer of the Transport Appellate Tribunal, F. Akbar; and the II Assistant Judge of City Civil Court here, Pauldas, visited the prison and heard the petitions this afternoon. While one prisoner said he did not know the fate of his wife and his three-year-old daughter in a fishermen cluster near Kottivakkam, another person said his 70-year-old mother was living alone at Nadukkuppam area after his arrest in connection with a theft case. Many inmates, including a middle-aged one from Akkaraipettai near Nagapattinam, said they had not heard from their families, and that there was no response to their letters as well.

One inmate belonging to Tiruchanankuppan near Tiruvottiyur said a relative informed him that his daughter and his brother were killed in the tsunami. He prayed for bail, but said that in the absence of his brother he may not have anybody to stand surety for him now. Most of the affected inmates hail from Kasimedu, Foreshore Estate, Kottivakkam and Kalpakkam. Any further action of the Authority will depend upon the verification of identity and addresses provided by the prisoners, the members said.

Another team comprising the Special Judge, Mahila Court, S. Vimala, adalat counsel V. Kannadasan and some social activists despatched by the Principal Sessions Judge, P. Murugesan, to North Chennai collected more than 150 petitions and submitted a report recommending relief measures.

While many injured persons in Anna Nagar and New Washermenpet said they got nothing by way of relief, a widow, who lost her 15-year-old son to the tsunami, said she was had not received any help till date. Her son, Karthik's body was found at the Harbour on December 28, two days after the tsunami havoc. However, she came to know about the recovery of the body much later, and only on January 4 she identified Karthik. After the cremation on January 6, she filed a claim with revenue authorities along with relevant papers such as FIR and death certificate. She said she had not got anything so far.

Volunteering advocates in the team have been asked to help the victims in preparing claims and obtaining guardianship and legal heir certificates from competent authorities.

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