The Bombay High Court on Monday sought the Maharashtra government's response to a public interest litigation seeking resumption of voice and video call facilities for prison inmates to communicate with their family members and legal counsels.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice V G Bisht said this was an important issue as not everybody can go to prison to visit an inmate.
"This is an important matter. Not everybody can go to prison...Why can't the video and voice call facilities be allowed?" Chief Justice Datta asked.
The court directed Additional Public Prosecutor A R Patil to take instructions from the government and posted the matter for further hearing on May 4.
The petition, filed by NGO 'People's Union for Civil Liberties', claimed the facility of voice and video calls for prison inmates was arbitrarily and abruptly stopped in 2021.
As per the plea, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020, jails had started voice and video call facilities for inmates.
The petition claimed that as per the Model Prison Manual issued on 2016, the superintendent of each jail has to allow prisoners the use of telephones and electronic communications on payment to contact their family members and lawyers.
The petition sought that the government's decision to stop voice and video call facilities be quashed and set aside as it violated the fundamental rights of the inmates.
The decision to stop voice and video call facilities and allow only physical meetings imposes unnecessary hardships on the family members and legal representatives of the inmates, the plea said.
The petition also said that the voice and video calls are convenient for the inmates lodged in prisons outside their place of residence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
"Truth Is...": BJP Leader Slaps Case Against Rahul Gandhi In Cash-For-Vote Row 3 Dead, 9 Injured After Gas Leak At Fertiliser Plant In Maharashtra "Congress Will Win, Exit Poll Predictions Will Be Reversed": DK Shivakumar Indian Student In US Accidentally Shoots Himself Dead While Celebrating Birthday Amazon Employee Greets Friend At Wedding, Dies Of Cardiac Arrest "Truth Is...": BJP Leader Slaps Case Against Rahul Gandhi In Cash-For-Vote Row Bodies Of Infant, 5 Hostages Of Same Family Killed In Manipur Brought Home From Screams To Stunning Themes: 10 Of The Best Roller Coasters In The World Explainer: The Climate Conundrum At COP29 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.