allahabad high court
– Photo : Amar Ujala.
Expansion
The Allahabad High Court has made a harsh comment on the condition of prisoners in jails due to lack of legal aid. Expressing regret, it said that the nation is celebrating the Amrit Kaal of Independence, but a section of citizens is living an anonymous life behind the ‘dark walls of jails’. Because the light of constitutional freedom is not reaching there.
With this harsh comment, the court of Justice Ajay Bhanot accepted the bail plea of Bulandshahr’s Ramu, who is serving 14 years sentence for murder. The court also heard nine other bail pleas related to similar cases. The court has ordered the government to issue guidelines for legal aid.
The court expressed concern that there are many such cases in which bail applications of prisoners are lying in cold storage because no effort is made to argue the case or hold a speedy hearing. In some cases, these prisoners have no contact with their lawyers to know the status of their bail applications.
Courts should not be silent spectators
The court said that the fate of these voiceless prisoners is a silent indictment of the system. It is the supreme duty of the courts to ensure that prisoners appearing in criminal proceedings have access to legal aid and are not reduced to mute spectators. Denial of legal aid leads to violation of fair, reasonable and equitable process, unjust imprisonment and curtailment of liberty.
