EMINENT citizens have described the criteria stipulated in the Jail Code for classifying Division I prisoners as irrational and discriminatory since respected citizens in the society are excluded from the facilities, a local daily reported yesterday. Terming the Jail Code a colonial time legacy, citizens demanded for reforming the Act as it allowed the ruling class and government officials to enjoy the Division I facilities in jail, but deprived citizens having contribution to the society and the nation of such facilities. We ask the government to include intellectuals, social workers, human right activists and journalists in the list of people entitled to Division I in jail.
As per the Jail Code, rule 910(1) stipulates that Division I shall include all the prisoners who by social status, education, and habit of life have been accustomed to a superior mode of living while the rule 910(4) stipulates that Division I will include persons formerly placed within serial 1-18 in the Warrant of Precedence, presidents and secretaries of the political parties having representation in parliament, persons honoured with gallantry awards and persons enjoying the honour of commercially important person, such other persons as may be determined by the ministry of Home Affairs, from time to time, in consultation with the Law Ministry and persons once appointed a professor emeritus.
It is discriminatory that Ministers, MPs, bureaucrats will get Division I in jail automatically but deprived the intellectuals and respected people who contribute to the society a lot. Marking the Code as a gross injustice, legal experts said it is unfair that a controversial lawmaker would get Division I in jail after committing crime and corruption but a socially and internationally acclaimed personality would be deprived of the facilities even if he is accused of silly matter.
Providing Division in jail has become a regular feature of social interest as we see many corrupt people get everything while respectable people for protesting government injustice are deprived of minimum facility in the prisons. It is another style of repression by the government on the opponents.
