Tihar Jail toilets do not have doors: Prisoner's letter revealed; Delhi High Court seeks answer from Kejriwal government

The Delhi High Court on Monday heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking clean water, doors in toilets, and better facilities in Tihar Jail. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramaniam Prasad said that it is a humanitarian issue. The court has issued a notice to the Delhi government and sought its reply within 6 weeks. The next hearing of the matter will be on April 14, 2023.

The Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee (DHCLSC) filed this PIL after receiving a letter from a prisoner. An inspection of the jail premises was then carried out by a panel lawyer of DHCLSC and a report was prepared. The report said that the jail also lacked basic facilities. There is no clean water to drink. The washrooms and their doors are broken. Because of this, prisoners have to make compromises.

Manhole made in jail premises filled

The PIL said that the report also revealed that the living conditions of the prisoners were also poor as there was a manhole in the premises which was full and water had started gushing out of it. The court was further informed that the Delhi Jail Rules, 2018, and the Model Jail Manual, 2016 state that clean water should be provided to the inmates of the jail and cleanliness should be maintained in the jail premises.

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