HC seeks govt's reply on withdrawal video call facilities for inmates in prisons

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government if there were any incidents of security breach when voice and video call facilities were permitted for inmates in prisons during the COVID19 pandemic and sought to know why the facility was discontinuedA division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice V G Bisht said that it was not inclined to pass any urgent order allowing the resumption of video and voice call facilities as the state government needs to be given an opportunity first to file an affidavitThe court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking the resumption of voice and video call facilities for prison inmates to communicate with their families and legal counselsThe petition filed by the NGO Peoples Union for Civil Liberties claimed that the facility of voice and video call for prison inmates was arbitrarily and abruptly stopped in 2021As per the plea amidst the COVID19 pandemic in July 2020 jails had started voice and video call facilities for inmatesThe court asked Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni appearing for the state government to specify why the facilities were withdrawn and if any incident of security breach was reported when these facilities were made available during the pandemicKumbhakoni informed the court that he would seek instructions on this from the inspector general Prisons but said that there is apprehension of security breach as it would be difficult to know who the inmates are talking toAnother reason for the suspension of video call facilities is the resumption of physical mulaqats meetings he saidHowever the petitioners advocate Rebecca Gonsalves argued that video call facilities should be made permanent irrespective of physical meetingsTo this Chief Justice Datta said that this was for the state government to decideThe court directed the government to file its affidavit by June 10 and posted the matter for further hearing on June 20Kumbhakoni further told the court that although video call facilities were not available inmates were entitled to make phone calls using coin telephone boxesThe petition claimed that as per the Model Prison Manual issued on 2016 the superintendent of each jail has to allow prisoners to use telephones and electronic communications on payment to contact their families and lawyersThe petitioner sought for the governments decision to stop voice and video call facilities to be quashed and set aside as it was violative of the fundamental rights of jail inmatesThe decision to stop voice and video call facilities and allow only physical meetings imposes unnecessary hardships on family members and legal representatives of inmates the plea claimedVoice and video calls were convenient for inmates who were lodged in prisons outside their place of residence it saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever