Nod for body scanners for Punjab prisons in shortest possible time, Centre tells High Court

Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, January 10

The Centre on Wednesday assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that necessary clearances for the installation of body scanners in prisons across Punjab would be granted “in the shortest possible time”.

The commitment was made by Additional Solicitor-General of India, Satyapal Jain, during a hearing before the Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Kirti Singh.

It came in response to the State counsel submission that the installation of body scanners would require permission from the Government of India. The Bench was hearing a suo motu or court on its own motion case regarding the in-custody interview of “known criminal” Lawrence Bishnoi.

Appearing before the Bench, the State counsel on instructions from the Additional Director-General of Police, Prisons, added “sometime would be taken” for the permission. She added the timelines regarding the steps for augmenting/streamlining the jail security would be re-worked and efforts made to put in place the measures in the shortest possible time.

Body scanners in jails use various scanning technologies to detect hidden weapons, contraband and other items that may pose a threat to jail security. The assurance came just over a fortnight after the high court directed the registration of two FIRs following the in-custody interview.

As the matter came up for resumed hearing, the State counsel also submitted that the direction had been complied with while placing before the Bench an affidavit filed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Litigation, Bureau of Investigation.

Among other things, it confirmed the registration of the FIRs with ongoing investigations headed by a special investigation team led by IPS officer and chairman of SIT-cum-Director-General of Police, Punjab State Human Rights Commission, Prabodh Kumar.

The affidavit also detailed the blocking of 105 URL links containing objectionable content on the platform concerned. The information was based report from the Punjab Additional Director-General of Police, Cyber Crime.

The Bench on the previous date of hearing had asserted that the two-member high-powered committee constituted to look into the interview “glorifying crime and criminals” had taken more than eight months to arrive at an inconclusive finding. The Bench added the interviewee was involved in 71 cases in Punjab and convicted in four matters, including offences under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 302 of the IPC and extortions.

He was justifying target killings and his criminal activities, while reiterating and justifying threat to a film actor. The trials were underway in a large number of cases and attempt to project his persona as larger than life could influence the witnesses. The interviews were stated to have garnered over 12 million views and would have an adverse impact upon youngsters with impressionable minds, the Bench had observed.

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