Delhi LG unhappy over delay in appointing board of visitors for jail

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Lt Governor V K Saxena has expressed displeasure over the delay on part of the Delhi government in constituting the 'Board of Visitors' for jails in the city despite High Court orders, Raj Niwas officials said on Monday.

The LG office also returned to the Delhi government a related file asking it to rectify the "shortcomings" in a notification on to appointment.

No immediate reaction was available from the ruling AAP over the issue.

The board plays a crucial role of providing independent feedback to prison authorities about the standard of basic facilities to be maintained in jail, including health, hygiene and security.

"It is indeed disturbing that the constitution of a Board of Visitors...is pending for five years now. The Board serves as a platform for hearing the grievances of the prisoners/convicts and enables authorities to undertake remedial measures in this regard," the LG stated in a note.

The Delhi High Court in an order in September, 2019 directed the authorities to constitute the 'Board of Visitors' within a period of 12 weeks. It should have accordingly been constituted, by January, 2020, the note said.

"However, as the facts on file bring out, the proposal to constitute Board of Visitors was approved by the then Minister (Home) at his own level, after a lapse of one year in September, 2020," the LG noted.

The law department pointed that the proposal required the approval of the Lt Governor.

"It is astonishing that the file after a lapse of four years has now reached me(LG) for approval today i.e. 30.09.2024," Saxena said in his file noting.

The file highlights the "utter lack of seriousness, indeed callousness" with which a matter concerning basic human rights, and monitored by the High Court itself, has been treated specially at the level of the then minister (home), the LG said.

More "disturbing" is the fact that the notification which has been put up now after approval of minister (home) and the chief minister runs contrary to the provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018 which envisages that the 'Board of Visitors' will be chaired by the District and Sessions Judge, said the note.

The LG questioned under what authority the chairmanship of the board has been substituted by the district magistrate in the government notification.

The LG noted that the file has been received in his office on September 30, just a day before hearing of the matter in the High Court.

"It is evident that it has now become a practice of Delhi government counsels to make a statement that the file is lying with the Lt Governor for decision, thereby attributing delays to his Secretariat," Saxena noted.

The file was returned by the LG office to the Delhi government with directions to rectify the "shortcomings" in the notification related to appointment of District and Sessions Judge as chairman of the Board and sending a panel of names.

It also said there should be specific direction that the standing counsel of Delhi government will present the LG "note" to the High Court on October 1, officials said. PTI VIT TIR TIR