GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has directed the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh to submit detailed affidavits in response to concerns highlighted in a recent inspection report on the condition of central and district jails in these states.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami stressed the importance of the states submitting affidavits outlining the actions taken to address the recommendations of the inspection committee.
The court further directed the states to specify if the recommendations remain unimplemented and to provide a timeline for their enforcement.
The court referred to an affidavit submitted by the Registrar General of the High Court on August 20, which included an inspection report prepared by a committee comprising officials from the Assam State Legal Services Authority and the prison departments of Guwahati and Jorhat. The report highlighted poor conditions in jails across the four states and proposed several recommendations for improvement.
The court observed that none of the four states had responded to the affidavit. Consequently, the bench directed the states to submit their respective affidavits before the next hearing on January 29, 2025.
"By that time, the affidavits on behalf of all the four States be filed positively," the court stated, emphasizing that the states are expected to provide detailed responses and updates on the measures being taken to address the issues raised.