Jammu’s Amphalla jail overcrowded; 50 pc less staff against sanctioned strength

Jammu, Apr 29 (PTI) Against a holding capacity of 426 prisoners, the district jail Amphalla here has more than 700 inmates with half of the sanctioned staff managing its affairs, an official has said.

Six foreigners including a Pakistani national were among those lodged in the jail, the official said.

The information was given to the Executive chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority and Judge High Court of J&K and Ladakh Justice Tash Rabstan, who visited the district jail to review the facilities, the official said.

The Executive Chairman, J&K LSA enquired about the number of convicts serving their sentences and also about the undertrial prisoners belonging to J&K as well as other states and foreign nationals.

Justice Rabstan was informed that the Amphalla district jail has a capacity of 426 people but more than 700 inmates are presently residing in the jail, while there is a shortfall of 50 per cent staff against the sanctioned strength, the official said.

He was also informed that there were six foreign nationals lodged in the jail, out of which one is a Burmese national detained under the Public Safety Act, one Bangladeshi national convicted in the Foreigners Act and one Dutch national facing trial in a murder case.

The trial of one Pakistani national and three Bangladeshi nationals is going on, the official said.

He said Justice Rabstan visited the e-mulakat center, where a jail inmate hailing from Pulwama district of south Kashmir was having a virtual meeting with his parents and other family members.

Justice Rabstan was informed that whenever a jail inmate or his family member approaches the jail authorities for e-mulakat, the same is organized, the official said.

Justice Rabstan also visited the male as well as female blocks and interacted with the inmates to enquire about the medical and other facilities provided to them.

Subsequently, he also inspected the video conferencing facility, OPD unit, dental section, inmate calling area, vocational centre as well as a 10-bed hospital located inside the jail, the official said.

Justice Rabstan appreciated the efforts made by the government in general and the Department of Prisons in particular for maintaining the standard of living in jail and providing all the basic necessary facilities like hygienic food, medical facilities and skill training to the inmates.

All the inmates of the jail during interaction admitted that they are being represented in their respective cases by the lawyers either engaged by them or provided by the Legal Services Authority, the official said.

Justice Rabstan also delivered a docket issued by the court of 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu to one undertrial admitted to bail in a 2020 case registered at Police station Nawabad and directed the Superintendent of the jail to release him forthwith, the official said.