MSHRC Awards Rs 2 Lakh Compensation for Denial of Inmate's Letter to Mother

The case pertains to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 which, according to the Pune police, was funded by Maoists.The inflammatory speeches made there led to violence at the Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune the next day, police had alleged.

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has directed the state home department to pay compensation of Rs 2 lakh to lawyer Arun Ferreira, an accused in the Elgar-Parishad Maoist link case, for violating his fundamental rights as a prisoner by not forwarding his letter on Father Stan Swamy to his mother.

From facts and circumstances it is crystal clear that the Taloja Central Prison superintendent ''committed a great mistake'', Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) chairperson Justice K K Tated noted.

''Therefore, the commission, under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act and Regulation of the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (Procedure) Regulations, advised the state home department and Taloja central prison to pay Rs 2,00,000 as compensation to Ferreira,'' as per the order passed on April 4.

Ferreira was arrested in August 2018 for his alleged role in the Maoist link case and was in judicial custody in Taloja jail before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in July last year.

In his complaint to MSHRC, Ferreira said, while in prison, he had written a letter on July 14, 2021 to his mother about the memories of father Stan Swamy under the title 'Stan's profound simplicity'.

Instead of forwarding the letter, the jail superintendent filed an application before the trial court saying he (Ferreira) wants to publish objectionable material and, thus, should be warned as per Maharashtra Prison Manual, the complaint further stated.

As per Ferreira's complaint, the action taken by the jail was contrary to the law.

Besides ordering payment of compensation, the MSHRC also directed the respondents to conduct workshops to educate its officers on prison rules regarding the censorship of letters written by inmates.

Ferreira and several other activists are accused in the Elgar-Parishad Maoist link case. The case pertains to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017 which, according to the Pune police, was funded by Maoists.

The inflammatory speeches made there led to violence at the Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune the next day, police had alleged. The case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)