Gauhati HC allows prisoners to watch cricket World Cup

Prisoners in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail watching the India-Pakistan semifinal of the 2011 World Cup

Guwahati, March 4: The Gauhati High Court Wednesday directed the Assam government to provide cable connections to TV sets in Guwahati Central Jail so that inmates can watch news, entertainment programmes and matches of the ongoing cricket World Cup.

The direction came while the court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by seven prisoners, who had appealed to the jail authorities to provide cable connections for the television sets in the jail but whose appeal was rejected.

"Seven inmates of the jail filed a PIL and Justice A.K. Goswami of the Gauhati High Court today (Wednesday) directed the Assam government to install the cable connections within five days of issuing of the order," said advocate Amit Goyal, who filed the PIL on behalf of the inmates.

The inmates have mentioned in the PIL that at present there only Doordarshan is available inside the jail.

"The inmates of the Guwahati Central Jail approached the Gauhati High Court after the jail authorities rejected their prayer to provide cable connection for World Cup matches," said Goyal.

He added that they also sought the court's direction to link all the TVs in the jail with cable connections to enable the undertrial prisoners to have benefit of recreation, which will improve their mental condition.