Three undertrial prisoners currently lodged at Pune’s Yerawada Central Prison have moved the Bombay high court alleging that they are handcuffed while being taken to courts or hospitals.
The division bench of justice AM Khanwilkar and justice AP Bhangale were hearing hand-written petitions sent to HC by Jullu Singh Dudhani, Pankajsingh Dudhani and Lalsingh Dhangar, seeking implementation of 1995 Supreme Court directives prohibiting handcuffing of undertrials.
They were arrested in 2007 Pune police for dacoity and have been in prison since. “All prisoners are handcuffed while going to court or civil hospitals,’ their petition states.
They pointed out that it is “routine practice” of Pune police to handcuff accused while producing them in courts. ‘We belong to good families and have been in custody for three years. We are unlikely to abscond. This practice on part of police is cruel and torturous,’ they stated.
Earlier, two division benches of the HC had admitted separate petitions by other accused who alleged they were handcuffed by the police while they were being taken to courts or hospitals.
The petitioner’s legal aid advocate Vishwajit Sawant submitted that the state has not filed its reply. The judges directed the additional public prosecutor to file a reply within two weeks.
