New Delhi: The Supreme Court on February 17 issued notices to the Punjab government and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on a public interest litigation, accusing state police of treating undertrial prisoners like animals by transporting them from courts back to jails in an iron cage.

A Bench comprising justice Ruma Pal and justice B N Srikrishna issued the notices, after hearing counsel P V Dinesh appearing for petitioner M P Sobhan, who is seeking a direction to the state government to honour the fundamental rights available to the prisoners.

The petitioner, citing a news item published in a daily, said four accused persons were taken from court by Punjab police personnel in an iron cage like animals.

Terming the act of the Punjab police as shocking, the petitioner said the apex court had consistently held that prisoners and undertrial prisoners should be treated with dignity and honour and all civil and political rights available to other persons should be enjoyed by them.

Transporting the prisoners in an iron cage was worse than handcuffing, which was declared by the Supreme Court as prima facie inhuman and therefore unreasonable and harsh.

The petitioner said Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which India was a signatory, offered better treatment to the undertrial prisoners.

PTI