Chief Justice Mr.Ramesh Sinha conducts a surprise inspection of Raipur Central Jail

**** Chief Justice Mr.Ramesh Sinha expresses satisfaction with arrangements during the jail inspectionChief Justice Mr.Ramesh Sinha meets Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel to discuss pending legal issues *****

Raipur, 6 August 2023//  Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court, Mr. Ramesh Sinha, met with the Chief Minister, Mr. Bhupesh Baghel, at Pahuna Guest House on August 5. They discussed various pending issues related to the Chhattisgarh High Court and subordinate courts. The Chief Justice Mr.Sinha also conducted a surprise inspection at Central Jail Raipur. He meticulously examined the men's and women's barracks, as well as the jail hospital. During the inspection, he inquired about the appointment of a permanent doctor in the jail and ensured the presence of the doctor. He also sought information about medical facilities and medicines provided to prisoners and interacted with them.

The Chief Justice, during his inspection at Central Jail Raipur, thoroughly examined the video conferencing room and legal cell. He also visited various facilities provided to the inmates, including the canteen, prisoner-run printing press, sewing and weaving room, and education centre. Interacting with the prisoners, he inquired about their adherence to jail manual guidelines. Inquiring about the welfare of women prisoners with children, he sought details from the Jail Superintendent about available facilities for the children's health, education, and overall development. The Jail Superintendent informed the Chief Justice that a government-recognised school, providing education from Class I to Class XII, operates within the jail premises. The Chief Justice also inspected the school within the jail premise.

During his visit to the jail, the Chief Justice expressed satisfaction with the education, health, and sanitation facilities provided in the jail. He observed ongoing jail court proceedings, presided over by Mr. Bhupendra Kumar Wasnikar, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Raipur. The Chief Justice instructed jail authorities to promptly inform the concerned court if a prisoner's appeal has been presented in court twice before. Additionally, he inquired about the provision of legal services provided to the prisoners. The jail currently has a capacity of 1586 inmates, but it has 3267 prisoners in total, with 3117 male and 150 female inmates.

The Registrar General of the High Court Mr. Arvind Kumar Verma, Principal Secretary of the Law Department Mr. Rajnish Shrivastava, Additional Registrar cum PPS Mr. M.V.L.N. Subrahamanyam, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Kumar Alang, IG Mr. Ratanlal Dangi, DIG Jail cum Central Jail Superintendent Mr. S. S. Tigga, SSP Mr. Prashant Aggarwal, and Jailor Mr. MN Pradhan, were present.

It is noteworthy that Chief Justice Mr. Ramesh Sinha has been in the Chhattisgarh High Court for only three months. Within this short period, he has conducted surprise inspections of various district courts and Central Jails, providing essential instructions for system improvement. Consequently, significant changes have been observed in infrastructure and working conditions.