Over 44 percent of the prisoners lodged in jails across Punjab are dependent on drugs, the State government revealed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday [Court On Its Own Motion v State of Punjab and Others]
After examining a status report filed by the State, a bench of acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rajesh Gaur noted that out of 35,449 inmates in Punjab jails, 15,768 inmates are drug-dependent.
In Amritsar, 2,124 of 4,918 inmates are dependent on drugs; similarly in Bathinda, 1,064 out of 1,978 are drug-dependent.
The Court said the majority of these drug-dependent inmates are in their prime youth. The Court remarked that the data revealed a serious challenge for the State which must accord highest priority to the issue.
"There cannot be anything more serious than this. What kind of a policy do we have to bring these inmates out of drug dependence," Justice Mishra remarked.
Meanwhile Justice Mishra also took note of the apprehensions that the inmates may suffer from health issues in case they are not administered the drug doses by authorities.
"That may be true but then I think there has to be something worked out," the Acting Chief Justice added.
There cannot be anything more serious than this. What kind of a policy do we have to bring these inmates out of drug dependence.Punjab and Haryana High Court
The Court was hearing a suo motu case initiated by it in July on the basis of a report given by the administrative judge (a sitting judge of the High Court) of Mansa Sessions Division in Punjab.
The report revealed that a large number of jail inmates, who are drug addicts, are given Buprenorphine in combination with Naloxone. The dosage prescribed ranges from one to four tablets, depending upon their medical condition and treatment requirements, as per the report.
The judge's report also revealed that out of 767 jail inmates, as many as 530 inmates are registered with the Out-Patient Opioid Assisted Treatment Clinic (OOAT Clinic) established within the jail premises. The judge said approximately 69 percent of the total inmate population is undergoing treatment at the OOAT Clinic, indicating a significant prevalence of drug addiction among the inmates.
On August 20, the Court had asked the State to submit details of the total number of inmates in each jail and the number of inmates presently registered with the OOAT Clinic. It had also appointed advocate Tanu Bedi as an amicus curiae.
Today, the Bench said such inmates cannot be left in helpless situation for all times to come. It added that the matter will be heard every week.
It asked Bedi to go through the affidavit and assist the Court on the next date of hearing.
The Court today also asked State of Haryana and Chandigarh Administration to submit details about drug-dependent inmates in their jails. It also asked Union government to assist it in the matter.
Advocate Abhinav Sood appeared for Union Territory Chandigarh. The Court asked Sood to speak to the health authorities including Director PGIMER and seek their assistance in the matter.
The matter will be heard next on September 8.