VC Facility Made Available For Inmates In All Prisons: Punjab Govt To High Court

The Punjab Government today informed the High Court that video conferencing facility for prison inmates is available in all the jails and various posts of jail staff have been filled while the process is on for filling up other posts.

A division bench of Justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Deepak Manchanda was hearing its suo moto case against the use of mobile phones in the prisons. In the same case, the SIT constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court revealed in August 2024 that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's first interview "glorifying crime and criminals" was conducted when he was in CIA premises in Punjab's Kharar and the second interview was in a Jaipur jail.

In the last hearing, the Court had directed the trial Courts within Punjab to use VC facility as much as possible especially in the case of high risk prisoners as it not only spares the police personnel who are to be put on security duty but save sizeable public expenditure.

The Amicus Curiae Tanu Bedi had then informed that proper infrastructure has not been provided to the SIT Head which is evident from the interruptions in the video proceedings in Court for want of proper and adequate Wi-Fi facility in the office.

K.A.P. Sinha, Chief Secretary, Punjab, today submitted that significant progress has been made in augmenting the security of jails in the State, stating that video conferencing facility is available in all the jails and various posts of jail staff have been filled while the process is on for filling up other posts.

The SIT head, Prabhodh Kumar, IPS (Retd.) also filed a status report in sealed cover.

The matter is listed for August 28, for further consideration.

Ms. Tanu Bedi, Advocate (Amicus Curiae) assisted by Mr. Pushp Jain, Advocate.

Mr. Puneet Bali, Sr. Advocate Mr. Kuljit Singh, Addl. A.G., Punjab.

Mr. Aftab Singh Khara, Sr. DAG, Punjab.

Mr. Anant Kataria, DAG, Haryana.

Mr. Manish Bansal, Public Prosecutor with Mr. Rajiv Vij, Addl. P.P., U.T., Chandigarh.

Mr. Satya Pal Jain, Addl. Solicitor General of India with Mr. Arun Gosain, Senior Government Counsel for Union of India.

Mr. K.A.P. Sinha, Chief Secretary, Punjab (Through Video Conferencing).

Mr. Prabhodh Kumar, IPS (Retd.) Head of the SIT (Through Video Conferencing).

Mr. Sanjay Kaushal, Sr. Advocate with Mr. Ishan Kaushal, Advocate and

Mr. Arjun Kaushal, Advocate for the intervenors.

Title: Court on its own motion v. State Of Punjab & Ors.

Click here to read/download the order