Madras High Court Seeks State's Response On Plea For Setting Up Libraries In Prisons

The Madurai bench of Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Sathya Narayana Prasad was hearing the petition filed by a practicing advocate, Saha AV. Considering the importance of prayer, the court has granted four weeks time to the state for its counter affidavit.

The petitioner had sought for maintaining library with sufficient number of books, to maintain a digital library with necessary infrastructure, and to appoint a qualified librarian in all Central Prison, Special Prison for Women, District Jail, Borstal School, Open Air Prison, Juvenile home, Sub-Jails for Men and Women in Southern Parts of Tamil Nadu

Stating that an empty mind is a devil's workshop, the petitioner, Saha submitted that a well informative prison library would play a vital role in providing treatment and care for the diseased minds of the prisoners. He added that at present there was only one prison library in every central prison which was also lacked proper infrastructure. These libraries did not have separate buildings, proper ventilation/lighting or even sufficient racks to keep the books.

The petition also emphasized that prisoners are often overlooked in matters of education as they are locked away. Hence, as much as they are discriminated against generally, they are discrimination in the provision of education specifically.

"Prisons are meant for people, who are in conflict with law to reform themselves. Prisons are part of legal institutions to provide legal education and socialize the inmates to be law abiding citizens. Libraries in the prisons are the classrooms that would teach the inmates these values", the petitioner submitted.

The petitioner also relied on Model Prison Manual 2003 and the United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) which provides for setting up prison libraries. He also submitted that the right to education envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution extends to prisoners languishing in prisons also.