Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has given the committee responsible for revising the Goa Prison Rules, 2021, an additional week to complete its recommendations for introducing a legal framework for Open Correctional Institutions (OCIs) in the State.
The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Hiten Venegavkar while hearing a suo motu matter concerning the implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions on setting up open prisons.
The Bench directed the committee, constituted through its earlier order dated June 18, to finalise its proposed amendments to the prison rules and place the report before the Court within a week. It also instructed that the recommendations be submitted to the Monitoring Committee during the same period. The case will next be taken up on July 15.
The extension forms part of the High Court’s continuing effort to lay the legal foundation for Goa’s first open correctional institution. The Court had earlier observed that the existing Goa Prison Rules do not provide any mechanism for establishing or regulating such facilities, making amendments essential before the project can move forward.
To accelerate the process, the Court had earlier adopted a two-fold approach. While one committee was entrusted with drafting the required legal amendments, another expert panel was expanded to study operational models of open prisons functioning in other States.
Among the institutions examined, the Court identified the Sanganer Open Correctional Institution in Rajasthan as a suitable reference point, observing that its functioning could offer useful guidance while developing Goa’s own model.
The Home Department has also been asked to facilitate study visits to established open correctional institutions, including those at Sanganer in Rajasthan, Buxar in Bihar and Yerawada in Pune. The State Government will bear the travel and related expenses for the visits, with the findings expected to help shape Goa’s future open prison framework.
