Mobile legal aid clinic set up for prisoners in Thane Central Jail

Representational Image

The officials on Tuesday said that a mobile legal aid clinic has been launched for prisoners at the Thane Central Jail in Maharashtra to allow them to communicate with their families and legal representatives more effectively via an e-interview system, reported news agency PTI.

The facility in Thane Central Jail, to operate through a vehicle and set up by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in collaboration with the social organisation 'Dard Se Humdard Tak', was inaugurated on Monday, reported PTI.

The initiative addresses a critical need in the overcrowded prison system, where traditional interview methods often lead to significant delays for inmates seeking to connect with their families and legal counsels, the DLSA said in a release.

Despite the potential benefits of this new system, many prisoners and their families, particularly those who are illiterate or unfamiliar with technology, face challenges in accessing e-interview services, it said.

The mobile legal aid clinic at the Thane Central Jail aims to bridge this gap by providing guidance and support to both prisoners and their relatives, it said, reported PTI.

Chief Judicial Magistrate S K Fokmare emphasised the importance of the initiative in enhancing the rights of prisoners and ensuring that they can maintain vital connections with their families during incarceration, reported PTI.

Legal experts from the social organisation will be available at the clinic two days a week, from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, offering free legal services and assistance to those in need, reported PTI.

Apart from him, DLSA secretary Ishwar Suryawanshi and jail superintendent Rani Bhosale were among those present at the facility's launch.

Maharashtra govt transfers nine police officers, including 6 SPs

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Monday transferred nine police officers, including six superintendents of police.

A government order stated that Mumbai North Region Additional Commissioner of Police Rajiv Jain was transferred as Deputy Inspector General in State Reserve Police Force (SRPF). He has been replaced in the North Region by Abhishek Trimukhe.

"Port Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Latkar and Zone 6 DCP Hemraj Rajput have been transferred and posted as SPs in Maharashtra Cyber. DCP Prashant Kadam has been posted as SP of the SC-ST Commission in Mumbai. DCP (GRP) Sandeep Bhajibhakre has been posted as DCP Pune city," said the order.

"Thane DCP Shivraj Patil has been posted as SP, Anti Corruption Bureau (Thane), while ACB SP Sunil Lokhande has been kept on waiting. DCP Bharat Tangade has been posted as additional SP Thane," it added.

(With inputs from PTI)