Give report on any COVID-19 infected patient in jail: HC to authorities
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Yogesh Khanna, which conducted the hearing through video conferencing, passed the directions while hearing a 62-year-old woman's plea seeking interim bail on health grounds.
The woman, a senior citizen, is serving life sentence in Tihar Jail in the dowry death case of her daughter-in-law who died of burn injuries.
The court issued notice and asked the authorities to file its response on the woman's interim bail plea along with her latest medical report prepared by the jail hospital.
"The status report should specifically disclose whether there are any COVID-19 infected patients within the jail premises, whether social distancing norms are being maintained within the jail premises, and the opinion of the doctor should also be obtained, whether it is considered necessary that the woman be taken to another hospital for her examination or treatment," the bench said in its order.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 8.
Advocate Kanhaiya Singhal, representing the woman, said she be released on interim bail as she was suffering from various health problems including hypertension, thyroid and heart ailment and was vulnerable of catching COVID-19 infection in jail where it is difficult to maintain social distancing.
He said she has been taken to hospital by the jail authorities several times but now, due to coronavirus pandemic, she was not being able to get proper treatment in government hospitals and she be released so that she can be medically treated outside.
The woman and her two sons were sentenced to life imprisonment in the dowry death case of one of her daughter-in-law. The woman was earlier granted anticipatory bail by the high court.
However, she was taken into custody one and half years ago after her conviction and sentence. SKV HMP RKS RKSRKS