Date:19/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/19/stories/2006071917710700.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Petitions against prison officials dismissed

Special Correspondent

123 accused in bomb blasts cases had alleged rights violations in prison

False complaints, say prison officials

Prison, judicial officers promptly attending to complaints: judges

CHENNAI: A batch of petitions, filed by 123 accused persons in the Coimbatore bomb blasts cases, alleging rights violations by prison officials and seeking criminal action against them, was dismissed by the Madras High Court on Monday.

The habeas corpus petitioners, including Al-Umma leader S.A. Basha, sought action against "erring prison officials" and sought investigation by human rights activists and advocates into the "atrocities." They alleged that they were tortured, ill-treated and assaulted by jail authorities. Denying the allegations, the officials said false complaints were being lodged against them as they had made efforts to control "anti-administrative and other unruly activities" by inmates.

The Bench, comprising Justices P. Sathasivam and V. Dhanapalan, expressed satisfaction that prison and judicial officers were promptly attending to the complaints brought to their notice. "We are not inclined to accede to the request for further investigation by a panel of human rights activists/lawyers or any other team as claimed by the petitioners."

Stressing the need to follow the Tamil Nadu Prison Manual for the safety of prisoners and regarding discipline, the Bench said: "The rules regarding safety, which included rules regarding the facilities to be given to the undertrial prisoners such as medical treatment, minimum comforts, etc., shall be scrupulously followed by jail authorities. If there is a possibility of any untoward incident, the jail authorities have to take steps in advance to avoid such incidents." The judges said the prison inmates should be treated with dignity, and added that the prisoners were expected to "adhere to the prison rules and subject themselves to security check, frisking, etc., whenever jail authorities call upon them to do so."

So long as the prisoners satisfied the norms prescribed in the Prison Manual, there should not be any restriction on interviews either by relatives or advocates, they said. Whenever there was any excess and violation of human rights, the petitioners were entitled to complain to higher authorities and courts concerned.