NEW DELHI: Forming a four-member fact-finding panel of lawyers to “meticulously” inspect the living conditions in Tihar jail, including the status of drinking water, sanitation, overall hygiene and maintenance of washrooms in the prison complex, the Delhi High Court noted that a ‘prisoner’s basic constitutional rights persist even behind bars.’
The high court took note of the alleged lack of basic amenities in the largest prison complex in South Asia, remarking that the right to life remains inviolable, even if an individual was incarcerated.
“Recognising the pressing nature of this issue, we deem it necessary to authorise an independent committee for a meticulous inspection of Tihar jail. To this end, we establish a fact-finding committee consisting of Dr. Amit George, Santosh Kumar Tripathi, Nandita Rao and Tushar Sannu.
Their mandate is to impartially evaluate the present conditions and update us on the status of drinking water, sanitation, overall hygiene, and the maintenance of washrooms/toilets within the complex,” a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula said in a recent order.
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The high court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee (DHCLSC), highlighting the pressing issue of supply of clean drinking water and maintaining hygienic sanitary conditions within the Tihar jail complex.
The petitioner drew the court’s attention to a report stemming from an inspection conducted by a panel counsel which underscored a “worrying deficiency” in providing inmates with drinking water in jail.
The plea also described the sanitary conditions there as less than satisfactory and added that many washrooms and toilets are in disrepair and even the basic privacy of inmates is compromised due to broken doors, hampering their ability to maintain personal hygiene in private.
The court noted a Delhi government representative had informed it in April that initiatives to improve basic amenities in the jail complex were underway.
However, the petitioner’s lawyer Amit George submitted a starkly different picture and argued that they have been inundated with complaints from inmates, who claim an alarming scarcity of basic necessities like clean drinking water and proper sanitation.
