Delhi HC frames guidelines for compensation to prisoners injured while working in jail
The Hindu
The court also said that interim compensation will be provided to the injured prisoner by the authorities.
A prisoner cannot be made to suffer due to the inadequacy of policies and a firm attitude by the court was needed to "awaken the relaxed authorities from their slack approach" towards prisoners' fundamental rights, the Delhi High Court has observed.
The court made the observations while issuing a slew of guidelines for quantifying and assessing the compensation to be paid to a prisoner for injuries sustained while working in jail.
In case a convict suffers work-related amputation or a life-threatening injury, the court said, the jail superintendent will be duty-bound to inform the concerned jail inspecting judge within 24 hours of the incident. A three-member committee comprising Director General (Prisons) of Delhi, medical superintendent of a government hospital and secretary of Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) of the concerned district will be constituted to assess and quantify the compensation to be paid to the victim, it said.
The court also said that interim compensation will be provided to the injured prisoner by the authorities.
This arrangement will remain in place until the necessary guidelines are formulated or rules are made or amended under the Prison Act, 1894 by the wisdom of the Parliament of India.
The high court clarified that these guidelines will be applicable only in the case of amputation or any other life-threatening injury sustained by the convict during work.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said while this judgement does not intend to create new rights for prisoners, it expresses and reiterates the recognition of the right to equality, right to life and human dignity of a prisoner who has been convicted.
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