In the pursuance of the earlier order dated 11th May 2021, the Assam Government has submitted, before the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court, the details of female jail inmates who are either have been convicted or under trials and lodged in different jails in the state of Assam along with their small children.
A division bench comprising of Hon’ble Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Hon’ble Justice Anchintya Malla Bujor Baura observed that “on examination, this Court has found that the mentioned children in the list are not juvenile in conflict with the law, but they are in jail because they are less than six years of age and they are permitted to stay with their mother as per the Jail manual.”
The Hon’ble Court further observed that it would be in the best interest of everyone that this list should be submitted to the High-Powered Committee, which has formed to deal with the matter of principles on which these jail inmates have to be released on temporary bail in the view of special circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the Hon’ble Court directed the State Government’s counsel to place the list before the High-Powered Committee and also asked the Registrar of the Court to do the same.
Lastly, the Hon’ble Court ordered the State Government to provide the report that mentions the number of jail inmates who got infected due to the Covid and measures which are taken by them.
