The Supreme Court has sought a response from the
Centre on a plea seeking adequate facilities for disabled prisoners in jails,
and implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, in
prisons across the country.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta
issued notice to the Union of India and others on a plea filed by activist
Sathyan Naravoor.
"Issue notice, returnable within four
weeks," it said.
Citing instances of professor G N Saibaba and
activist Stan Swamy to highlight the "severe neglect" of disabled
prisoners, the plea said necessary provisions should be incorporated in the
existing Prisons Act to address the special needs of disabled inmates.
Former Delhi University professor Saibaba died on
October 12 last year at a state-run hospital in Hyderabad due to health-related
complications, seven months after he was acquitted in a case of alleged links
with Maoists after 10 years in prison.
Swamy, arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon case, died at
Mumbai's Holy Family Hospital in 2021.
The petition contended that even after more than
eight years since the enactment of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act,
2016, most state prison manuals do not include the mandatory provisions for
ramps and other essential accessibility measures.
"This ongoing failure severely impacts the
basic mobility of disabled prisoners within prison premises, directly violating
the statutory requirements of the Act," the plea contended.
Pointing to the lack of infrastructural facilities
such as ramps and accessible toilets, the petition claimed prisoners with
disabilities often depend on others for assistance with their daily tasks.