Hyderabad, January 28: The jaali mulaquat between prisoners and their visitors is set to undergo a change. Instead of having to shout at the top of their voices in crammed spaces and through three or four layers of iron mesh and grill partitions, microphone and headphone sets will be provided to them while the grill partitions will remain.
“There will be more space provided so that the conversation takes place more quietly and comfortably,” director-general of prisons (jails) C N Gopinath Reddy told TOI.
At present, the mulaquat time is a picture of chaos. For instance, at the Central Prison, Chanchalguda, the prisoners are called into a room. They have to speak to visitors from the room through layers of iron mesh and grill, separated by a distance of nearly two to three feet. With everyone talking on the top of their voices, the scene is like a fish market with visitors not having enough space to even stand.
Generally, visitors are given 15 to 30 minutes to speak. The surroundings are not conducive to exchange matters of serious consequence. Even at the Special Prison for Women, Chanchalguda, the small space provided for the jaali mulaquat and the chaotic conditions that prevail leave both prisoners and visitors exasperated.
Prisons department authorities are proposing to replicate what the Tihar jail has recently introduced, facilitating a better meeting for prisoners and their visitors. While implementing it at all prisons may not be possible right away, the authorities are toying with the idea of first introducing it in the central prisons.
Family members, relatives or friends of the prisoners will be required to send in a slip to the prison authorities who will then call the inmates for the jaali mulaquat. These visits are allowed every fortnight.
—Source: TOI