JAMMU, November 3: Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti appeared before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and urged a humanitarian approach to the transfer of all undertrial prisoners from the Union Territory who are currently lodged in jails outside Jammu and Kashmir. She asked the court to direct that these prisoners be returned to local jails unless authorities provide clear, written reasons that justify their continued incarceration outside the region.
The former Chief Minister questioned why detainees picked up before and after 2019 on the basis of suspicion continue to remain in distant prisons, while high-profile convicts in serious cases have at times received bail or parole. Speaking to reporters after appearing before the Chief Justice in Jammu, she said her plea arises from compulsion and a sense of responsibility toward hundreds of poor families who have suffered for years without meaningful access to justice.
Mehbooba Mufti argued that many of the undertrials belong to families that cannot afford frequent travel to faraway prisons or sustained legal representation. According to her, these families include children, spouses, and elderly parents who struggle to visit their loved ones, let alone coordinate legal strategy and court appearances.
Her public interest litigation, filed on October 26, requests several directions. First, that all such undertrials be brought back to jails within Jammu and Kashmir unless specific case-wise reasons demand otherwise. Second, that every such case undergo a quarterly judicial review. Third, that the court constitute a two-member oversight and grievance redress committee, including a retired district judge, to audit undertrial locations, family-contact records, lawyer-interview registers, and production orders. The petition also seeks recommendations for disciplinary action in the event of non-compliance and bi-monthly status reports to the court.
Emphasizing a humanitarian lens over technical objections, she urged the High Court to instruct the government to facilitate transfers and, until then, to provide limited travel assistance of twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand rupees to families who must visit prisons outside the Union Territory to pursue legal remedies.
After the hearing, the matter was posted for a subsequent date. Mehbooba Mufti said she approached the court as a final avenue for relief, adding that several thousand detainees from economically weaker backgrounds remain unable to effectively fight their cases and deserve proximity to their families and their courts.