Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sep 19 (PTI) Noting that a mistake in a person’s life need not become his entire identity, Justice Nitin Suryawanshi of the Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad bench on Saturday said prisons may restrict freedom but cannot take away hope, dignity or the possibility of a new life.
He inaugurated a health examination and awareness camp at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Central Prison in Harsul area.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Suryawanshi said the meaning of justice extends beyond punishment and includes the protection of human dignity.
“While the law could restrict a person’s liberty following conviction or during judicial custody, it could not deprive the person of the right to health and dignity.
“A mistake may be an event in a person’s life; it need not become his entire identity,” Justice Suryawanshi said, urging inmates to look towards reform and prepare themselves for a return to society as responsible citizens.
He said prisons should be viewed not merely as places of punishment but as institutions for correction and rehabilitation.
“Along with physical healthcare, attention needed to be paid to the mental and social well-being of inmates. Timely medical examinations could help detect serious illnesses at an early stage, and that preventive healthcare, treatment and counselling could make inmates’ lives safer and healthier. An inmate’s or a free citizen’s illness does not recognise punishment and health knows no boundaries,” he added.
Stressing that healthcare in prisons is both a humanitarian responsibility and an expression of Constitutional values, Justice Suryawanshi appealed to society to look at inmates not merely through the lens of their past but also through their reform efforts.
“Justice imposes punishment, but humanity offers an opportunity for transformation. Law imposes boundaries, but compassion shows new paths. And health gives a person the strength to walk on those new paths,” he added.
The programme, organised with the participation of the Charity Department, prison administration, charitable hospitals, doctors and volunteers, also saw the handover of advanced medical equipment including a modern dental chair, stretchers, wheelchairs, and a refrigerator for the prison hospital.
For the first time in Maharashtra, medical equipment worth nearly Rs 10 lakh was donated by various organisations to ensure better health services for prisoners, organisers claimed, adding that CPR training and demonstrations for inmates were also organised in Harsul facility.
Joint Charity Commissioner Nitin Jadhav described the programme as a convergence of justice, humanity, Constitutional values and social responsibility.
Referring to Article 21, Jadhav said, ”Imprisonment or judicial custody did not extinguish a person’s human existence or dignity”.
He said the restriction of liberty could not be a justification for denying necessary healthcare.
Jadhav also referred to Justice Suryawanshi’s judgment in Harshad Dinanath Bari vs. State of Maharashtra, concerning judicial custody, personal liberty and Article 21.
He said the judgment did not have a direct medical connection with the present programme, but the broader values of human dignity and constitutional protection reflected in it were relevant to the occasion.
“A crime may be condemned, but the human existence of the offender cannot be condemned,” Jadhav said, emphasising the importance of a humane approach to prison reform and rehabilitation.
Central Prison Superintendent Anil Khamkar highlighted the practical difficulties involved in taking inmates to outside hospitals, particularly for specialised dental treatment. Security arrangements, vehicles and manpower had to be deployed whenever inmates were taken outside the prison, he said.
According to organisers, the new dental facility would enable several dental procedures to be undertaken within the prison hospital itself, reducing the need for outside referrals and saving administrative time and manpower. PTI AW NSK
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