Pronouncing a comprehensive judgment on the overcrowding of jails, Orissa High Court issued directives to the State government to prepare a detailed scheme concerning the children of prisoners residing whether within or outside jails within a period of two months.

Currently, 59 children are languishing in the jails across the State along with their parents lodged in prisons for commission of offences.

“During the hearing, both the Home Secretary as well as the Director-General (Prisons) were open to suggestions of adopting the best elements of such schemes to prepare a scheme for children of prisoners in Odisha which will include mandating a minimum stipend per child per month to meet the expenses connected with a decent standard of living and subsidising the entire expenses connected with the education of such children”, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Dr. S. Muralidhar and Justice A K Mohapatra ruled in an order pronounced yesterday.

“A detailed scheme concerning children of prisoners whether within or outside prison be formulated within a period of two months and placed before the court by the next date,” directed the division bench. The next date of hearing has been fixed on March 8 next. The HC insisted best practices be adopted for Odisha”, the division bench directed.

As already noticed, there are at present around 59 children in the jails in Odisha. The Court is informed that there are detailed schemes formulated both in Rajasthan and Maharashtra relating to the children in prisons as well children of prisoners, who may not be inside prisons themselves, the HC stated in the judgment.

During the hearing, both the Home Secretary as well as the DG (Prisons) were open to the suggestion of adopting the best elements of such schemes to prepare a scheme for children of prisoners in Odisha which will include mandating a minimum stipend per child per month to meet the expenses connected with a decent standard of living and subsidising the entire expenses connected with the education of such children.

A detailed scheme concerning children of prisoners whether within or outside prison be formulated within a period of two months and placed before the Court by the next date. The Court clarifies that the Government need not wait for the Court’s green signal to operationalize the aforementioned scheme, the division bench concluded.