ibn sultan
Srinagar, Nov 3(CNS) People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti on Monday urged the judiciary to initiate comprehensive reforms in the criminal justice system of Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing that the issue of prisoners is not political but deeply humanitarian.
Addressing media persons outside the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Mehbooba said that“courts are our last hope,” stressing that behind every case and number lies a human story “a mother waiting for her son, a father growing old in silence, and a child sleeping without knowing when their parent will return.”
She said hundreds of youth from J&K continue to remain lodged in prisons far away from home in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and others causing immense distress to their families.“Their trials are delayed, hearings are held in their absence, and justice remains out of reach. This is not the idea of India that our Constitution envisions,”she said.
Calling upon the Hon’ble Chief Justice to take note, Mehbooba outlined a series of reforms including local lodgement of prisoners, speedy trials, transparency in court proceedings, and ensuring that ‘bail, not jail’ remains the rule. “Detention should be the exception, not the norm. Remission, parole, and furlough are legal rights, not political favours. Medical bail must be treated as a constitutional safeguard,” she said.
The former Chief Minister further stressed that prisons should serve as institutions of reform, not destruction. “Implementation of jail manuals must be ensured. These young men are not statistics; they are our children the sons of this soil who deserve dignity, fair trial, and a chance to rebuild their lives, she added.
Expressing faith in the judiciary, Mehbooba said she believes the day is not far when justice will prevail and the courts will ensure the “Ghar Wapsi” the return of all J&K prisoners to their homeland.(Agencies)
