Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India.
ORIGINAL JURISDICTION Writ Petition Crl.
1053 1054 of 1982.
Pursuant to the order made by this Court, Dr. Miss A.R. Desai visited Bombay Central prison and after interviewing women prisoners lodged there, made a detailed report to this Court.
Khursheed Ahmed for the Petitioner.
General, V.B. Joshi and M.N. Shroff for the Respondent.
The Judgment of the Court was delivered by BHAGWATI, J. This writ petition is based on a letter addressed by Sheela Barse, a journalist, companyplaining of custodial violence to women prisoners whilst companyfined in the police lock up in the city of Bombay.
G. Bhagat Addl.
The petitioner stated in her letter that she interviewed fifteen women prisoners in the Bombay Central Jail with the permission of the Inspector General of Prisons between 11 and 17th May, 1982 and five out of them told her that they had been assaulted by the police in the police lock up.
Of these five who companyplained of having been assaulted by the police, the petitioner particularly mentioned the cases of two, namely, Devamma and Pushpa Paeen who were allegedly assaulted and tortured whilst they were in the police lock up.
