Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Friday asked for a report from the Telangana State Legal Services on the condition of undertrial prisoners languishing in jail due to poverty, on Friday.
The two-judge panel composed of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavalli was hearing a PIL filed by Murali Karnam, a resident of Hyderabad. Murali pointed out in the PIL that 180 undertrial prisoners are languishing in Telangana jails despite getting bail because of inability to furnish sureties and personal bonds. The benefit of release on bail and freedom of life cannot be deprived because of poverty he further stated, citing the 268th report of the Law Commission recommendation.
The panel directed the Legal Services Authority to submit a detailed report within four weeks and pointed out how some advocates in Madhya Pradesh helped out poor prisoners in a similar situation.
According to the Legal Services Authority, appropriate steps are being taken to help the prisoners who were granted bail.
The panel adjourned the case till June after directing the Telangana Government to submit a report on the status of implementation of Supreme Court order to pay equitable wages to prisoners. Also, the non-compliance of the state government in fixing wages for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers was brought to court’s notice by the petitioner who sought the creation of a wage fixation body to decide the wages.
