NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Legal Services Committee led by Justice Surya Kant will soon file appeals in SC against HC orders dismissing appeals of over 4,000 poor prisoners, who have no wherewithal to move the highest court in the hope of proving their innocence.
The SCLSC chairman involved all state and district legal services authorities as well as HC legal services committees to launch a through scrutiny of HC and jail records to identify poor prisoners in need of legal aid to appeal against rejection of their bail pleas and convictions.
The three-month exercise identified 4,200 such poor prisoners. Justice Kant on Tuesday interacted with the authorities concerned and requested them to send the files relating to these prisoners to enable SCLSC to expeditiously file appeals in SC on their behalf.
“This three-month exercise in jails was to identify the following inmates – whose criminal appeal has been dismissed by HCs; who have served more than half of sentence yet prayer for bail has been rejected by HCs; who have been denied benefit of remission and the challenge in HC has also been rejected,” the SCLSC said. “This should be a regular effort,” Justice Kant told authorities, stressing the need to update legally aided inmates on case progress. He urged a system ensuring inmates receive legal aid information from day one and asked chairpersons to oversee the campaign until completion.
