New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday praised the arrangements made in prisons in the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak in the state. 

The top court observed the Director General of Prisons, Kerala has set up isolation cells within prisons across Kerala. Those suffering with Covid-19 symptoms such as cold and fever are being moved to these isolation cells. All the new inmates who will be admitted to the prisons in Kerala will be isolated in the isolation cells in the admissions block for six days before permitting their entry into the regular prison cells.

"Similarly, an isolation ward has been set up in the Tihar Jail, Delhi and all the 17,500 inmates of the said jail were checked for Covid-19, and it was found that none displayed any symptoms relating to Covid-19," said the top court.

However, the court said it does not have information about the measures taken by the other state governments in their prisons to prevent the contagion of Covid-19 and appointed senior advocate Dushyant Dave as amicus curiae to assist the court on the matter.

The bench issued a notice to the Directors General, Prisons and Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories seeking their reply, by March 20, on the measures taken to contain the spread of Covid-19. The court also asked the authorities concerned to depute, by March 23, an officer, who could assist the court on the matter. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on March 23.

Meanwhile,  it also noted that prisons are overcrowded which strikes against the Centre's advice to maintain "social distancing" and this posed a major risk against the backdrop of outbreak of coronavirus. The Supreme Court has taken suo moto cognisance of overcrowding in prisons across the country.
 
(with inputs from IANS)