Safeguarding Prison Health during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Appeal from health care and public health professionals to

Chief Justices of High Courts and

High Powered Committees of states and Union Territories

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Friday, June 18, 2021

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are approaching you to consider endorsing the below appeal addressed to Chief Justices of High Courts across the country and High-Powered Committees (HPCs) constituted by states and Union Territories (UTs) as per the Supreme Court of India order dated March 23, 2020 (Re: Contagion of COVID 19 Virus in Prison [Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No.1/2020]) towards decongesting prisons.  Because the efforts made so far are inadequate, especially against the backdrop of ravaging second wave of the pandemic, we are demanding immediate attention of High Courts and HPCs to do the needful, amongst other, consider health related and other wide-ranging vulnerabilities as determining factors for consideration of release of prisoners.

Please read the appeal /letter below. For an overview of the issue at hand, you may refer to the brief note. 

Please access Google Form here for your endorsement. 

Kindly send your endorsements by 21.06.21 (Monday) 7 PM.

Thank you.

Forum for Medical Ethics Society (FMES); and

Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA)