Sabarmati jail’s video conferencing now for all states

The authorities of Sabarmati Central Jail have extended the facility of producing undertrials in court via video conferencing to other states. Now, the jail has established links with courts in four states of the country for this arrangement.

PC Thakur, additional director-general of police (ADGP), prisons, said: "We have extended this facility to courts in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Soon, other states will also be covered."

The move is aimed at reducing the risks involved in taking high-profile accused to courts from the jail and also to avoid inconvenience to those undertrials who are aged or ill, Thakur said.

The ADGP had written letters to courts in many states informing them of the availability of the video conferencing facility in the largest jail of Gujarat. Most of the courts have responded to the letters and have welcomed the initiative, Thakur said.

Incidentally, many accused of the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case have been lodged in Sabarmati jail. The investigations into the incident, which had left 57 people dead, has spanned across many states.

Similarly, a few women accused of the 2009 hooch tragedy in the city are aged and travelling is highly inconvenient for them, say prison officials. The case of this tragedy is being heard in Gujarat high court and the video conferencing facility is a big relief for them, the officials added. 

The video conferencing facility is also available in jails of Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot, the ADGP said.