"Prisoner's Constitutional Rights": High Court Pulls Up Tihar Jail Over Prison Amenities
NDTV
The plea also described the sanitary conditions there as less than satisfactory and added that many washrooms and toilets are in disrepair and even the basic privacy of inmates is compromised due to broken doors, hampering their ability to maintain personal hygiene in private.
Observing that a prisoner's basic constitutional rights persist even behind bars, the Delhi High Court has constituted a four-member fact-finding committee of lawyers to "meticulously" inspect the living conditions in Tihar jail, including the status of drinking water, sanitation, overall hygiene and maintenance of washrooms in the prison complex.
While taking note of alleged lack of basic amenities in the largest prison complex in South Asia, the court remarked the right to life remains inviolable, irrespective of an individual's incarcerated status.
"Recognising the pressing nature of this issue, we deem it necessary to authorise an independent committee for a meticulous inspection of Tihar jail. To this end, we establish a fact-finding committee consisting of Dr. Amit George, Santosh Kumar Tripathi, Nandita Rao, and Tushar Sannu.
