Confining Hardcore Criminals To Jail For 22 Hours A Day Illegal: High Court

The high court held that confining criminals in a cell for 22 hours in a day and releasing them only for two hours is "impermissible".

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed that confining hardcore criminals to a cell for 22 hours a day is "illegal" and "impermissible" as they can't be reduced to animal-like existence. The high court made the observation hearing a bunch of pleas filed by several inmates lodged in Punjab's Bathinda jail. The petitioners had contended that they have been denied various amenities allowed to ordinary inmates and are confined to their cells for 22 hours a day, which amounts to solitary confinement and violates their basic rights. The court held that confining criminals in a cell for 22 hours in a day and releasing them only for two hours is "impermissible".