Posted: Wed Dec 14 2011, 03:04 hrs
Mumbai:
The state government on Tuesday informed the Bombay High Court that installing tracking devices on prisoners out on bail, furlough or parole would be difficult both legally and practically.
Taking a serious note of 21,300 jail inmates across the state who have jumped bail, parole or furlough, the Division Bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and R G Ketkar had earlier suggested that the government should consider getting tracking devices to prevent jail inmates from absconding.
Additional Public Prosecutor A S Gadkari told the court that he had consulted the Advocate General over the matter and said there would be both practical and legal difficulties. He said the case will, however, be placed before the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) through a high-power committee (HPC) looking into the matter.
The judges had also suggested that those absconding could be tracked with the help of the Unique Identification (UID) that is being implemented across the country. They had then hoped that the UID would help track absconders as the police could also keep a check on their bank transactions.
Gadkari, however, said that the UID was being reviewed by a parliamentary committee. He added there were a large number of accused who hailed from other states lodged in Maharashtra’s prisons, mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In such cases, he said documents would have to be brought from their native places which would be time-consuming.
“Is it not possible to do it in serious cases?” Justice Khanwilkar asked.
In the last five years in the state, 21,300 convicts and undertrials, including 4,378 involved in grave offences, have absconded and 13,000 of them are from Mumbai.
The court observed that the government often leaves it to the court to pass orders in such matters and takes no decisions on its own. “Why are you inviting orders? Why can’t you do something remarkable on your own? Is it not your problem? Is this not a problem of administration of justice?” Justice Khanwilkar said.
Admitting the government’s inability to trace the absconders, Gadkari said, “The figures are staggering and there is hardly any progress.”
The court granted time to Gadkari to consult the chairman of the HPC and adjourned the case till January 13.