Tihar Jail is about to start a measure that would enable over 350 foreign inmates, lodged in the central jail under various IPC laws, to hear the voices of their near and dear ones twice in a month using web chat module Skype. The facility would be extended to all the foreign prisoners except few who are lodged in high security cells of the jail. Afzal Guru, Parliament attack convict whose mercy petition is pending before the President, is one among those high security foreign prisoners who will not be allowed to use Skype.
Jail officials have started asking foreign inmates whether they have a Skype account. Those who don’t have are being provided one by the jail authorities who will also verify the existing accounts. Jail officials said a proposal on the said line has already been accepted by higher authorities and is likely to be started very shortly, may be this month itself. The duration of the talk will be limited to 15 minutes. Conversations would be monitored by the jail administration.
Tihar currently has 373 foreign prisoners. Among them 95, including five female, have been convicted by courts for various offenses, while there are 248 foreigners facing trials, which includes 27 females. Most foreign prisoners are in jail under NDPS cases.
Officials said this decision is among one of the various welfare measures that Tihar has been consistently working on for the last many years to make the jail a place for reformation. They also said these foreign inmates do not have frequent visitors in jail like their Indian counterparts and they are not allowed to call their close ones as per the jail manual.
Officials said Indian prisoners can talk to their relatives on scheduled days and time with certain restrictions. So it was not logical to deprive foreign prisoners of the same. ‘The proposal to allow the use of Skype was under our consideration and hopefully it will start soon. This would allow foreign prisoners to get in touch with their families and friends twice a month with proper monitoring in place,’ said Sunil Gupta, spokesperson of Tihar Jail.
Jail officials have started asking foreign inmates whether they have a Skype account. Those who don’t have are being provided one by the jail authorities who will also verify the existing accounts. Jail officials said a proposal on the said line has already been accepted by higher authorities and is likely to be started very shortly, may be this month itself. The duration of the talk will be limited to 15 minutes. Conversations would be monitored by the jail administration.
Tihar currently has 373 foreign prisoners. Among them 95, including five female, have been convicted by courts for various offenses, while there are 248 foreigners facing trials, which includes 27 females. Most foreign prisoners are in jail under NDPS cases.
Officials said this decision is among one of the various welfare measures that Tihar has been consistently working on for the last many years to make the jail a place for reformation. They also said these foreign inmates do not have frequent visitors in jail like their Indian counterparts and they are not allowed to call their close ones as per the jail manual.
Officials said Indian prisoners can talk to their relatives on scheduled days and time with certain restrictions. So it was not logical to deprive foreign prisoners of the same. ‘The proposal to allow the use of Skype was under our consideration and hopefully it will start soon. This would allow foreign prisoners to get in touch with their families and friends twice a month with proper monitoring in place,’ said Sunil Gupta, spokesperson of Tihar Jail.