SRINAGAR, Dec 27: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti expressed grave concern over the continued detention of numerous Kashmiri undertrials in jails outside the Valley, stating the issue has caused severe emotional and financial hardship for their families.
Addressing a press conference, Mufti highlighted that families of detainees were suffering immensely as they could not afford frequent travel to distant prisons. Many households, she said, were barely managing daily expenses, making such visits impossible.
The PDP chief revealed she had written to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police in February seeking information about the number of detainees and undertrials lodged outside Kashmir, but received no response. Subsequent letters to the Union Home Minister and Home Secretary requesting transfers of undertrials to Kashmir jails also went unheeded.
Mufti said the matter was then taken to court through a public interest litigation, but expressed shock at its rejection after being given a political color. “A politician remains closely connected to ground realities. Why did the court not take suo motu cognisance even after rejecting the PIL?” she questioned.
She asked why courts did not seek to know why undertrials were languishing in jails for years without conviction, noting it was unrealistic to expect poor families struggling to make ends meet to approach courts themselves.
Citing statements by the Prime Minister, the President, and a former Chief Justice of India, Mufti pointed out that it had been acknowledged at the national level that nearly 76 percent of prisoners were undertrials. She questioned what options remained for ordinary people if such critical issues were not addressed.
The PDP leader said there were expectations that the formation of an elected government would lead to resolution of this sensitive humanitarian issue, but expressed disappointment over the lack of progress so far.
