Post Covid, 1,356 prisoners walk free from Ludhiana jails

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 17

In a bid to check the spread of Covid and avoid overcrowding of the prisons, as many as 1,356 prisoners have been released from different jails in Ludhiana district on interim bail and personal bonds ever since the outbreak of the pandemic.

These prisoners were released from Central, Borstal and Women jails in the district on interim bail and personal bonds after they were unable to furnish bail bonds following the grant of bail by the competent courts.

The orders to release these undertrials were issued after their cases were taken up and approved by the under trial review committee (UTRC), headed by the District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh.

The UTRC meetings, held from time to time, one of which was also held here today, took up the cases of all such prisoners who continued to remain behind bars despite being granted bail by the competent courts due to their inability to furnish bail bonds, and granted approvals to release all those undertrials, who were entitled for the benefit under Section 436-A of the CrPC.

The District Magistrate Varinder Kumar Sharma, Commissioner of Police Rakesh Agrawal, District Legal Services Authority Secretary Preeti Sukhija, Superintendents of all three jails in the districts, and District Attorney Prosecution attended today’s meeting.

Those released included 972 from Central Jail, 284 from Borstal Jail, and 100 women prisoners from Women Jail here.

The release of the undertrials was ordered following the Supreme Court’s March 23 directive to the states to consider releasing some prisoners to decongest jails and curb the possible spread of Covid in them. The apex court had issued the directions after taking a suo motu cognisance of the highly overcrowding of the country’s jails, making social distancing a challenge for the inmates.

Arrangements in place

Following the Supreme Court directive and to prevent any community transmission of the deadly Covid virus inside the jails, elaborate arrangements have been put in place in all district prisons. The physical interactions between prisoners and outsiders have been stopped, besides stepping up medical and isolation facilities within the jail premises.

Also, isolation wards had been set up for any inmate showing flu-like symptoms. The new inmates were routed through proper medical screening and were being kept in separate cells for at least three days as a precautionary step.

The prison staffers and inmates were being sensitised about general hygiene and precautions regarding Covid, besides providing them masks, hand sanitisers and handwash. The prison premises were being sanitised from time to time.

Besides, the inmates had been asked to maintain the mandatory 1m distance inside the lock-up.

Where a person has, during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial under this Code of an offence under any law (not being an offence for which the punishment of death has been specified as one of the punishments under that law) undergone detention for a period extending up to one-half of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence under that law, he shall be released by the court on his personal bond with or without sureties.

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