District Judge visits Central Jail, assesses facilities

The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Amritsar, on Thursday inspected the Central Jail here to review its functioning, sanitation arrangements and inmate welfare.

District and Sessions Judge Jatinder Kaur, accompanied by Amardeep Singh Bains, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Amritsar, inspected various sections of the jail, including barracks, the kitchen, hospital, sanitation facilities, women’s barracks and security arrangements.

They assessed the quality of food being served to inmates, the availability of potable drinking water, cleanliness of living spaces and the functioning of medical services.

Emphasising the need to ensure humane living conditions, the District and Sessions Judge underlined strict adherence to legal provisions governing jail administration. She also interacted with undertrials and convicted prisoners, heard their grievances and issued necessary directions to jail authorities for immediate redressal wherever required. Stress was laid on the timely production of undertrial prisoners before court and strict compliance with judicial orders.

DLSA Secretary Amardeep Singh Bains briefed inmates about free legal aid schemes, plea bargaining, compoundable offences and other legal services available under the District Legal Services Authority. He informed them about their right to legal representation and the procedure for seeking legal assistance through the authority, with special focus on vulnerable sections such as women, elderly undertrials and economically weaker inmates.

Officials also reviewed the functioning of legal aid clinics within the jail, jail Lok Adalats and the role of para-legal volunteers. Directions were issued to further strengthen legal awareness activities and ensure effective coordination between the jail administration and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) for the expeditious disposal of eligible cases.