The Gauhati High Court has directed Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh to take immediate steps to address the substandard conditions in their central and district jails. Overcrowding and inadequate facilities were among the key concerns highlighted in a recent inspection report.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Kaushik Goswami instructed the states to file comprehensive affidavits by January 29, 2025, detailing the actions taken to implement the recommendations of an inspection committee. The court stressed the importance of accountability, urging states to specify timelines for implementing pending measures.
The inspection report, submitted on August 20 by the Registrar General of the High Court, was prepared by a committee including members from the Assam State Legal Services Authority and prison departments in Guwahati and Jorhat. It flagged serious shortcomings in jail conditions across the four states, calling for urgent reforms.
Despite the gravity of the findings, the court noted that none of the states had filed responses to the earlier affidavit. “By that time, the affidavits on behalf of all the four states be filed positively,” the bench asserted, setting a firm deadline.
