Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa government has set up a dedicated monitoring committee to supervise the rollout of Open Correctional Institutions (OCIs), in line with prison reform directives issued by the Supreme Court.
Justice Valmiki Menezes, who heads the High Court Legal Services Committee, has been appointed Chairperson of the panel. The committee also includes Inspector General of Prisons Keshav Ram Chaurasia, IPS, and Anthony D’Souza, a senior Home Department official holding Additional Secretary rank.
As per the government notification issued by the Home-General Division, the panel will track the implementation and functioning of open prison facilities in Goa and recommend measures for their expansion and effective operation.
The committee has additionally been tasked with identifying inmates eligible for transfer from conventional jails to open correctional institutions and reviewing the progress of the reform process at regular intervals.
The development comes after the Supreme Court’s February 26 verdict in the Suhas Chakma versus Union of India case, which dealt with prison reform measures and the need for open jail systems across states. Subsequently, the Bombay High Court at Goa took suo motu cognisance of the issue and sought action from the State government.
Under the court’s directions, the monitoring committee will periodically submit compliance and progress reports before the High Court regarding steps taken to implement the apex court’s orders.
Earlier this month, the High Court had pulled up the State government for delays in establishing the OCI mechanism and directed authorities to formally constitute the committee without further delay.
During the hearing, the State informed the Division Bench comprising Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar that it had approved, in principle, the setting up of a semi-open prison facility at Colvale adjacent to the existing correctional complex.
However, the court observed that a semi-open prison model differed from the Open Correctional Institution framework envisioned by the Supreme Court and instructed the State to formulate a proper roadmap in accordance with the prescribed reform structure.
The case is expected to come up for further hearing on June 17.
