A division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Gauri Godse recently directed the Secretary of the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) to visit Taloja jail to inspect whether the jail has wells in working condition and whether the tanks from which the water is supplied are cleaned.
The HC was acting on a plea filed by Abhay Shamsundar Kurundkar who alleged that inmates were getting only 1.5 buckets of water for the entire day.
“The Secretary, DLSA, Raigad, to see whether the wells are in working condition; whether the water tanks from where water is supplied have been cleaned; and whether rain water harvesting can be available in Taloja Jail. The Secretary, DLSA, Raigad, to also interact with the inmates of Taloja Jail, and verify the supply of water, the quality of water made available to the inmates,” the bench directed.
The bench also recorded that none of the officers from the jail would remain present during the interaction with the inmates.
“None of the officers from the jail will remain present during the interaction of the Secretary, DLSA, Raigad, with the inmates. Accordingly, the Secretary, DLSA, Raigad, to submit his report before this Court on 22nd June, 2023. It is open for the Secretary, DLSA, Raigad, to incorporate other details with respect to water supply to Taloja Jail inmates,” the bench recorded.
The petitioner in his plea had sought adequate water for inmates. It was further prayed that City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) be directed to provide adequate water supply to Taloja jail, as presently, the inmates are only getting one-and-a-half buckets of water for the entire day, which is grossly inadequate.
The bench issued a notice to CIDCO on June 8. The counsel for the CIDCO and the section officer in its reply stated that the water supply in the jail was inadequate and that at least three lakh litres more is required for the inmates.
The bench also took on record that certain letters have been sent by the Government to CIDCO, including one last week, requesting for more water supply. Accordingly, CIDCO increased the size of the pipeline from 80mm to 100mm, however, the water supply was still inadequate for the inmates.
The Additional Public Prosecutor informed the court that there were two wells within the premises of Taloja Jail and that both are functioning and that one of the wells has been repaired recently. The court was also informed that there was no system of rainwater harvesting and the inmates were given about 10 buckets of water daily, which was refuted by the petitioner.
The DLSA was directed to visit the jail on June 17 and submit a report. The matter will now be taken up by the bench on June 22.
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