Women getting pregnant in jails, bar entry of male employees: Amicus tells Calcutta HC

Calcutta: Since women prisoners were getting pregnant while under custody in prisons of West Bengal, about 196 babies have been born in different jails in the State, the Calcutta High Court was told today. 

This was told to a Bench TS Sivagnanam and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya by an amicus curiae while mentioning a case related to prison reforms and correctional homes in the State of West Bengal.

Recording the submission, the Bench informed that the matter would be placed before a division bench hearing criminal cases, next week. 

Learned amicus curiae has mentioned these matters and has placed a notice pointing out certain serious issues. One such issue is woman prisoners while in custody are getting pregnant and at present there are as many as 196 babies staying in different prisons of West Bengal. 
The amicus curiae urged that the entry of male employees of the correctional homes should be immediately prohibited inside the enclosures of women prisoners.

Recently, I visited a women correctional home along with inspector general (special) of correctional homes and secretary of the district legal services authority. I found one pregnant lady and at least 15 other women prisoners staying with their children. They were born in the prison, he added. 
The Court also noted that even other suggestions were made by the amicus curiae in a detailed note dated January 25. The suggestions were aimed at improving the conditions and ensuring the welfare of inmates in correctional facilities. 

One of the significant suggestions that was made was to allow all District Judges, who chair the Board of Visitors, to tour correctional centers within their respective jurisdictions in order to ascertain the number of women convicts who had been pregnant while incarcerated.

In order to have an effective adjudication of all these matters, we deem it appropriate that the matter should be placed before the Honble Division Bench having criminal roster determination, the bench added while releasing the matter from its list today.