2. IG (Prisons) Delhi directed to take steps to segregate prisoners with communicable diseases from healthy ones

The NHRC has directed the IG (Prisons), Delhi to instruct the jail staff to take appropriate steps to identify those undertrial prisoners suffering from communicable diseases and ensure that they are segregated and not sent to the court along with other undertrial prisoners with a view to avoid spread of communicable diseases in the jail.
The Commission had in the year 2000 received an anonymous complaint from prisoners at the Tihar Jail in Delhi alleging that prisoners more than the permissible capacity were being taken to court in the court van. They also feared that since some of the prisoners are ailing with communicable diseases, it would affect other prisoners.
A report received from Deputy Commissioner of Police-III Battalion, Delhi Armed Police (DAP) stated that while handing over undertrial prisoners to DAP for transportation to the court, the prisoners suffering from communicable diseases are not identified by the jail staff. As a result, DAP has not been in a position to segregate such undertrial prisoners from others while transporting them to the Court. It also stated that generally, the undertrial prisoners suffering from communicable diseases are referred to different hospitals in Delhi for treatment and they are not being produced in the court from jail. The report however suggested that it would be worthwhile if such undertrial prisoners suffering from communicable diseases are transported to the court in the ambulance available in jail.