Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: High Court of Bombay at Goa said that inquiry regarding legality of the solitary confinement of 18 prisoners at State Central jail will be done through a Principal District Judge.
The court was hearing the petition filed by prisoners housed at Colvale jail alleging mistreatment and assault by the prison authorities.
Of the 18 prisoners who were put into solitary confinement since June first week, 15 have already been moved out while 3 of the prisoners Vikat Bhagat, Vijay Karbotkar and Tarzan Parsekar are still under solitary confinement.
The Principal District Judge will inquire into whether imposition of solitary confinement was legal or without following the rules. Meanwhile, court has completed its hearing in the matter and reserved its order.
During the last hearing, the High Court had directed the jail administration to submit the medical examination reports of injured as well as other jail inmates during a scuffle in the jail on May 30. The court has now completed the hearing and reserved its order.
Meanwhile, the government assured the Court that the three-member Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) will be reconstituted within next three months.
The GHRC has become non-functional after the tenure of the chairmanand two members ended in February this year.
There are over 450 complaints mostly human rights violations, pending with the Commission.
It may be recollected that trouble broke out in the Colvale jail following a brawl between between life convict Vijay Karbotkar and Tarzan Parsekar, an undertrial on May 30.
The IG (Prisons) along with the police later raided the cells and seized over 30 mobile phones and other communication equipment, including Bluetooth speakers from prisoners.
