Raising serious concerns over the treatment of undertrials in Punjab’s court complexes, lawyer Parminder Singh Sethi, vice-president of the AAP Punjab Legal Cell, has urged the state government to immediately improve basic humanitarian facilities for inmates brought for court hearings.
In a written representation addressed to the Punjab Government, Sethi highlighted the “extremely poor and inhumane conditions” faced by undertrials while waiting inside court premises.
“Undertrial prisoners are often forced to remain for hours in overcrowded ‘peshi’ rooms with inadequate ventilation, malfunctioning fans, and little or no seating arrangements,” Sethi claimed. The representation alleged the absence of proper sanitation facilities, including clean drinking water and hygienic washrooms, in several court complexes.
Sethi said undertrials were accused persons, who had not yet been convicted by any court of law, and therefore deserved humane treatment and dignity.
He added that many spent years awaiting trial, and should not be subjected to degrading conditions merely because they were facing criminal proceedings. The legal cell demanded immediate infrastructure improvements, including spacious and ventilated waiting rooms, seating arrangements for elderly or sick undertrials, access to clean drinking water and sanitation, separate consultation areas for lawyers and family members, and protection from extreme heat and overcrowding.
Citing Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty, the letter said humane treatment of prisoners was an essential part of constitutional rights and judicial fairness.
Sethi urged the Punjab Government and the authorities concerned to take prompt steps to ensure dignity, safety, and basic facilities for undertrial prisoners across court complexes in the state.
