SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 23: Principal District and Sessions Judge Virendra Kumar Tiwari, who also serves as the Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), conducted a surprise inspection of Dhanbad Central Jail on Friday and issued a series of directives to ensure inmates receive facilities as mandated by the jail manual.
Accompanied by Chief Judicial Magistrate Arti Mala and Sub-Judge cum DLSA Secretary Mayank Tushar Topno, the judge inspected all barracks and interacted with inmates to assess the conditions.
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The team reviewed the health services, legal aid, drinking water supply, as well as the quality of breakfast and lunch provided to prisoners.
The jail currently houses 652 inmates, including 27 women. Of these, 68 are convicted and 584 are under trial.
Judge Tiwari directed jail authorities to refer seriously ill inmates admitted to the jail hospital to higher healthcare centers for better treatment. He also emphasized the need to organize welfare, employment, and education-oriented training programs within the jail to aid in inmate rehabilitation.
Focus on Women Inmates and Hygiene
During his visit, the DLSA Chairman personally interacted with all 27 women inmates, listened to their grievances, and instructed officials to install a sanitary pad vending machine inside the women’s ward.
He also ordered that data related to all female inmates be digitized with the help of Para Legal Volunteers.
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Reforms and Digital Measures Ordered
Judge Tiwari further directed that new and old prisoners be housed separately to prevent conflicts and that education opportunities be provided to inmates interested in studying.
He instructed the authorities to install a scanner and make arrangements for producing inmates in court via video conferencing to reduce security risks and streamline judicial procedures.
The inspection team also included Civil Court Registrar I.Z. Khan, jail doctor Dr. Rajiv Kumar Singh, Legal Aid Defence Counsel System chief Kumar Bimlendu, deputy chief Ajay Bhatt, and members Suman Pathak, Neeraj Goel, K.L. Thakur, Muskan, Vishal Kumar, and Arun Kumar.
