Bombay HC imposes cost of improving Taloja prison library on 2 petitioners
India Today
The Bombay High Court is using the money from the cost imposed on two petitioners to buy books for the Taloja prison library.
The Bombay High Court has ordered two petitioners to pay Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 each as costs while hearing their civil petitions. The court specified that the money will be used to buy books for the Taloja central prison's library.
The petitions had no relation to the Taloja central prison in Navi Mumbai.
The court’s interest towards the state of the prison library started during an earlier hearing of Elgar Parishad accused Gautam Navlakha's plea. He had approached the court to allow a PG Wodehouse book inside the prison.
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During this hearing, the bench of Justices SB Shukre and GA Sanap expressed their disappointment after finding out that the number of books was less than the number of inmates in the prison. For the nearly 3,000 prisoners at the Taloja Central Prison, there are only 2,850 books in the library.
The bench informed government pleader Sangeeta Shinde that their order for the two civil cases have specified that the cost paid by the parties will go to Taloja jail.
Shinde said she will convey the court’s message to the Maharashtra state prison authorities.
