The Calcutta High Court on Thursday was told that women prisoners were getting pregnant while under custody in prisons of West Bengal and that about 196 babies were said to have been born in different jails in the State.The submission was made by an amicus curiae during the mentioning of a case related to prison reforms and correctional homes in the State of West Bengal.A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya took a serious view of the submission and said that the matter would be placed before a division bench hearing criminal cases next Monday.“Learned amicus curiae has mentioned these matters and has placed a notice pointing out certain serious issues. One such issue is woman prisoners while in custody are getting pregnant and at present there are as many as 196 babies staying in different prisons of West Bengal,” the Court recorded.To address these concerns, the amicus suggested that the male employees of correctional homes should be prohibited from entering enclosures holding women prisoners."I pray for a total prohibition of male employees of correctional homes, in the enclosures where women prisoners are kept," the amicus told the Court.
The Court recorded that the counsel has made other suggestions as well in a note dated January 25.“In order to have an effective adjudication of all these matters, we deem it appropriate that the matter should be placed before the Hon’ble Division Bench having criminal roster determination,” the bench added in its order, while releasing the matter from its list today.During the mentioning, the amicus also submitted he had visited one correctional home where he found one woman pregnant. He added that 15 children born in the prison were also there in the said correctional home.
TAGS: Calcutta High Court Women prisoners Pregnancies in jails West Bengal
