HC wants to know fire safety measures in jails

The High Court today wanted to know what steps have been taken to ensure adequate fire safety measures in all the 68 prisons throughout the country and to save the lives of prisoners from fire related accidents.

The home secretary and inspector general of prisons have been asked to submit separate reports to this effect before the HC.

The HC also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain in four weeks why their failure and inaction to ensure adequate fire safety measures in the prisons should not be declared illegal.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the order and rule following a writ petition filed by rights organisation Justice Watch Foundation's chief executive director Md Mahfuzur Rahman Milon seeking necessary directives on this issue.

He submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC few months back saying that there are 55 district jails and 13 central jails across the country, but fire safety measures in the jails are very poor.