Fill 178 posts in prisons department soon: Himachal High Court

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, May 20

The High Court has directed the government to send the requisition to the recruiting agency within a month for filling 178 posts in the Department of Prisons & Correctional Services. It further directed the agency to expedite the process of filling of the posts.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Sandeep Sharma passed these orders on a petition taken up suo motu by the court as a PIL on the directions issued by the Supreme Court in a matter related to inhumane conditions prevailing in jails.

During the course of hearing, the court was informed that there are 762 posts sanctioned the in Department of Prisons and Correctional Services of which 584 posts are filled, but 178 posts are still vacant.

It was brought to the knowledge of the court that the construction of new building of the sub-jail, Kishan Pura, Nalagarh (Solan), has been completed, but unless sewer line is not made functional, it will be of no use as no jail inmates can be relocated/lodged there. The court directed the authorities to lay a sewer line on or before August 31.