Women Prisoners Getting Pregnant In Bengal Jails: Calcutta HC Told

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered transfer to a criminal division bench of the matter in which the amicus curiae claimed that some women prisoners lodged in West Bengal's correctional homes were getting pregnant.

Lawyer Tapas Kumar Bhanja, who was appointed amicus curiae by the court in a 2018 suo motu motion on overcrowding in prisons, submitted a note containing these issues and suggestions before the division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, news agency PTI reported.

Bhanja suggested prohibition of entry of male employees of correctional homes into the enclosures of women prisoners.

Observing that the note pointed to "certain serious issues", the Calcutta HC bench said it stated that women prisoners are getting pregnant while in custody.

The note by the amicus curiae stated that there are as many as 196 babies staying in different prisons of West Bengal.

Bhanja submitted before the division bench, also comprising Justice Supratim Bhattacharya, that a copy of the note has been served in the office of the Advocate General of the state.

"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 PTI report quoted court's direction.

The Chief Justice directed that the matter be placed before him for appropriate orders in this regard.

A division bench presided by the then Chief Justice of the high court had in 2018 initiated a suo motu motion on overcrowding in correctional homes in the state.