Gauhati High Court orders vocational training for willing jail inmates

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has directed the State Government to ensure that all facilities are provided to the jail inmates who are ready to take long distance training or training in computer or any other vocational training. The court further directed the Member Secretary of the Assam State Legal Services Authority (ASLSA) to organize a meeting of paralegal volunteers (PLVs) in all central jails and district jails of the State and apprise the jail inmates about the facility of computer education as well as distance learning education.

The directives were issued by a Bench comprising Chief Justice RM Chhaya and Justice Soumitra Saikia during the latest hearing of a suo moto PIL over release on bail of detenues and other issues pertaining to jail inmates in the Northeastern States.

On the basis of a report submitted by the Member Secretary of the ASLSA after an inspection of the Sivasagar Jail on October 28 last, the High Court also directed that the ASLSA to take all necessary steps to improve the conditions at Sivasagar Jail and file a report by the next date of hearing of the matter.

Earlier during the hearing, the Senior Government Advocate, Assam informed the High Court that jail inmates who have been granted bail but have not been able to come out of jail are being helped by the District Legal Services Authority concerned. The counsel submitted that in cases where applications for modification of the bail application have been rejected, steps are being taken to file appropriate applications before the High Court.

The High Court further directed the Governments of Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to arrange meetings through PLVs with the jail inmates and intimate them about long distance education, computer training, vocational training and other training which are available in the jails of their respective States. These States were asked to submit their respective reports to the court at the next date of hearing.

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