Maharashtra: 650 inmates get smart cards to stay in touch with kin, lawyers

The authorities have distributed smart cards to nearly 650 inmates from the Harsul Central Jail in Maharashtras Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city to help them stay in touch with their family members and lawyers an official said on Wednesday the PTI reported on WednesdayAccording to the PTI the smart cards will allow the inmates to make three free calls each for six minutes a week a district official said in a releaseMany families cannot come to meet their prisoner relatives in jail due to financial conditions Therefore to connect the prisoners with their families and lawyers smart cards have been provided to 650 prisoners at Harsul jail the release said as per the PTIHowever the release did not specify if the inmates can call only those numbers shared in advance with the jail authorities or any number they chooseThe facility calling booth has been made available on the prison premises for the prisoners as well as those under judicial custody it said the PTI reportedThe Harsul correctional setup is one of the nine central jails in MaharashtraCourt directs jail authorities to upload chargesheet of Delhi Jal Board money laundering case on computers accessible by inmatesMeanwhile the Rouse Avenue Court has directed the jail authorities to upload the chargesheet and documents of Delhi Jal Board DJB money laundering case on computers accessible by inmates the ANI reported on WednesdayThis direction has been passed on the application of former DJB chief engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora who is chargesheeted and under judicial custody in this caseSpecial judge Bhupinder Singh directed the concerned jail authorities to upload the charge sheet and documents on the computer so that accused Arora can have access to such documents as per the ANIOn the premise that facility of having access to PC Personal Computer given to inmates the concerned jail superintendent is directed to get uploaded the charge sheet and RUDs Relied Upon documents of the instant case that shall be provided to him by parokar of the accusedand consequently the accused may have access to such documents during the time that is permitted for accessing such PCs during judicial custody special judge said in the order of April 15 the news agency reportedThe court passed the order after hearing submissions made by counsel for accused and Enforcement DirectorateArora had moved an application through advocate Yash Kadyan seeking permission to retain a flash drive containing charge sheet and documents so that he may access those documents in judicial custodyIt was also submitted that the chargesheet and documents filed by the ED runs into thousand of pages and cannot be transported to the accused who is in judicial custodyEDs special public prosecutor SPP Manish Jain opposed the plea and submitted that the accused Jagdish Arora had been provided a hard copy of charge sheet and documentsThe jail authorities also submitted that such electronic device falls under the prohibited category and cannot be accessedThe court was also informed that the inmates have access to PCs in judicial custody Thereafter the court passed the direction to jail authoritiesThe ED has filed a charge sheet against four accused and one firm namely NKG Infrastructure Ltd the news agency reported on Wednesdaywith PTI and ANI inputs