Supreme Court Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari has said that with the pure conscience of the society and the government, the civil rights of the prisoners can be protected and they can participate in the development of the country like all other human beings. He suggested to the government that by making one jail an ideal model as a pilot project, all the fundamental rights of the prisoners can be implemented by ensuring their good health. Justice Maheshwari was addressing a seminar on International Human Rights Day organised by Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission at the Academy of Administration and Management on Sunday on the subject of Human Rights, Health and Safety Rights of prisoners as the chief guest.
Maheshwari and other guests started the inaugural session of the seminar by lighting the lamp. Quoting the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, he said that a criminal is also a human being and there are certain circumstances which make him a criminal in the society. We have been taught to hate crime and not the criminal. He said that the society and all the responsible people will have to work with consciousness by being alert for human rights. Justice Maheshwari said that we will have to develop a positive conscious system and by implementing it, prisoners will have to become human beings who participate in the development of the country. Expressing serious concern over the current situation in other jails including Madhya Pradesh, he expressed the need for concrete and planned efforts to make the prisoners healthy. He also praised Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission for this initiative.
Justice Sujoy Paul of Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur, as the special guest, said that Nelson Mandela used to say that the goodness of a nation should be judged by the quality of its prisons. There should be no discrimination against prisoners while accepting them into the mainstream of society. Explaining destruction and creation, he appealed to the people to accept all human beings equally.
Referring to Angulimala, who after having committed 999 murders, became a saint following a lesson from Lord Buddha, he said that it is wrong to believe that no criminal will reform. Describing this seminar of the Commission as a milestone for the health and safety rights of prisoners, he said that a new path will emerge from today’s discussion. He also congratulated the Commission for organizing this event.
Justice Sanjeev S. Kalgaonkar of Gwalior High Court Bench said that while being the District Sessions Judge, he has seen many serious cases of violation of the rights of prisoners and has also got them rectified. He said that there is always scope for improvement and innovation. He said that the prisoners should be treated as human beings and their fundamental rights should be protected. Appealing to everyone to introspect, he said that due to lack of government rules and regulations and proper orientation of the jail administration, arbitrary interpretations take place due to which the prisoners are deprived of their rights. Describing today's seminar as planting of seeds for the health and safety rights of inmates, he said that its good recommendations can provide rights to the prisoners.
While presiding over the seminar, Acting Chairman of Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission, Manohar Mamtani, while highlighting the importance of the subject, said that in the last 5 years, more than 900 prisoners died in the jails of the state most of the deaths were normal but some were due to lack of health services, non-availability of timely treatment, failure to diagnose the disease and some happened as inmates suffered from depression which is a serious matter.
