ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Saturday dismissed a plea seeking uniform facilities for all prisoners, declaring it inadmissible.
A constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, with Justice Jamal Mandokhel, ruled that it is not the apex court’s responsibility to review jail facilities, advising the petitioner to approach provincial courts instead.
The plea had called for equal treatment for all inmates, citing recent complaints from prisoners in Punjab jails regarding special privileges granted to former Prime Minister Imran Khan during his incarceration in Adiala Jail.
In a letter to the Punjab Advocate General, the Inspector General (IG) of Prisons noted that inmates had demanded the same privileges afforded to Khan, such as six daily meetings with legal counsel. The prisoners argued that this differential treatment violates the Prison Rules of 1978.
In a related development, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi recently highlighted the dire overcrowding in Pakistani prisons.
During a meeting on prison conditions and prisoner welfare, the CJP revealed that jails across the country house over 108,000 inmates, despite having a capacity for only 66,625.
Punjab’s prisons are particularly overburdened, with 67,837 prisoners confined in facilities meant for 36,365. CJP Afridi expressed concern over the 36,128 prisoners who have been awaiting trial for over a year, underscoring the urgent need for judicial reforms to address these systemic issues.
The apex court’s decision to dismiss the plea reflects its stance that the matter of prison conditions is better suited for provincial jurisdictions, while also drawing attention to broader systemic challenges in the country’s justice system.
