02 October,2009 08:19 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Following a swine flu death in Yerawada jail, authorities postpone the Gandhi Vichar Pariksha that is being held on October 2 every year
Today, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 140th birth anniversary, around 3,200 prisoners, including 30 on death row, at Yerawada Central Jail will miss the opportunity to appear for the Gandhi Vichar Pariksha (see box), which is being held every year on October 2.u00a0 The decision to postpone the examination was taken after Maruti Zargad, a 60-year-old prisoner who was lodged in jail since June on charges of murder, died of swine flu at Sassoon Hospital on September 24.
Jail Superintendent S V Khatavkar told MiD DAY, "In the wake of swine flu situation, we have stalled all functions inside the jail. We don't want large gatherings to take place and hence, decided to postpone the examination."
Ravindra Kedari, DIG of Yerawada jail, said, "We have been monitoring the health of all the prisoners after 69 inmates showed symptoms of swine flu. Besides, they had been administered with Tamiflu and throat swabs of 25 patients were sent for tests. Fortunately, all reports were negative."
The Gandhi Vichar Pariksha, however, will take place in the jails of Mumbai, Thane, Ratanagiri, Osmanabad, Dhule, Jalgaon, Bhandara, Akola, Nagpur, Bhuswal, Chandrapur and Aurangabad as usual. In Nagpur, 124 prisoners will take the exam between 9 am and 10 am today. And in Arthur Road jail in Mumbai, 63 prisoners already appeared for the exam earlier this week.
However, the jail authorities have even postponed programmes like providing free legal aid to undertrials. Condemning the decision, advocate Assem Sarode, said, "This is against ones constitutional rights as every indigenous person has entitled to get free legal aid service."
