Women prisoners getting pregnant; Supreme Court takes case voluntarily

NEW DELHI: In the wake of reports that women inmates are getting pregnant widely in Bengal jails, the Supreme Court has voluntarily filed a case. The amicus curiae submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court that 196 children were staying in various correctional homes in Bengal. This was in a case related to prison reforms in the state. Amicus curiae Adv Tapas Kumar Bhanja recommended that male staff should be banned where female prisoners are housed. On Thursday, these matters were reported directly to the Calcutta High Court.

In the meantime, the Supreme Court yesterday considered a public interest petition alleging overcrowding of prisoners in prisons.

Expressing concern over the issue of women prisoners becoming pregnant in West Bengal, the bench chaired by Justice Sanjay Kumar directed senior advocate Gaurav Aggarwal to investigate the matter and submit a report. He is a lawyer who was assigned to assist the court in the plea that the prisoners were being stuffed.

Calcutta High Court will consider the report submitted by the amicus curiae on Monday. There is a pregnant woman in Alipore Correctional Home, Kolkata. Only 15 children live there. Ten boys and five girls. Women inmates have testified to amicus curiae that they gave birth to their children in the correctional home itself. The report recommended that women should be tested for pregnancy before being sent to these places to avoid sexual exploitation.