Vaccinate all prisoners: Orissa HC tells Naveen Patnaik authorities

By Express News Service
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Tuesday directed the State authorities to make sure that Covid-19 vaccination shouldn’t be denied to any prisoner who doesn’t have required paperwork for registration.

The Court issued the course after listening to two PILs on points touching upon human rights of inmates of prisons within the State together with circle jails, district jails, particular jails, particular sub-jails, open air jails, sub-jails and jails for girls. Amicus Curiae Gautam Mishra identified that many jail inmates might not have id paperwork for registering on the COWIN portal.

Responding to it, a division bench comprising Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray mentioned, “Accordingly, it is directed that the State government will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that no prison inmate is denied vaccination only on the ground that the inmate is unable to get registered on the COWIN portal. Alternate arrangements should be made to ensure that vaccination is not denied to such inmate”.

The court docket additional directed the Member Secretary of Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) to coordinate with the State authorities and take steps on the problem of commutation and remission of the sentences of prisoners discovered eligible for the profit, in a time-bound method.

Earlier the court docket had requested the Member Secretary of OSLSA to increase help to as many prisoners as doable who’re unable to avail bail regardless of being granted one by the respective courts. The court docket had been knowledgeable that there are as many as 470 such prisoners throughout the State.