Allow conjugal visits in jails: HC to Maharashtra

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Allow conjugal visits in jails: HC to Maharashtra

Jan 14, 2010 Mumbai: In a bizarre suggestion, the Bombay High Court has orally

remarked that the state government should consider conjugal visits in jails

across Maharashtra.

The remark comes in the wake of an increase in the number of HIV positive

prisoners.

Senior Advocate Anand Grover said, " In context to HIV in jails, the honourable

High Court has opined that whether it would not be appropriate for the state

government to consider conjugal vists. "

Statistics sourced from Maharashtra state aids control society reveal that as on

November 1, 2009, over 9,200 jail inmates were tested for HIV of which 260

inmates were tested positive for HIV.

Yerwada Central Prison in Pune has maximum number of aids infected inmates where

63 inmates were tested HIV positive.

Similarly, Thane had 39, Nashik 33 and Mumbai 31 prisoners respectively who were

tested positive for HIV.

Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Russia, UK and United States are some of the

countires that allow regulated conjugal visits.

Grover said, " There is nothing unusual about this. Conjugal visits also help

with other health issues of the prisoners... mental depression etc. "

The court directed the government to recruit medical officers for all prisons in

Maharashtra by February 20 and to set up HIV-testing laboratories in the Nashik,

Thane, Pune and Nagpur central prisons by January 20.

Permitting conjugal visits may be a way of dealing with HIV crisis in the

western countries but given that jails across the state of Maharashtra

accommodate more prisoners than its capacity, one wonders if this is indeed the

practical way to deal with HIV cases in the prisons across the state.

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