New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Saturday extended the period of interim bail granted to 2,177 undertrial prisoners by 45 days from its expiry date in a move to decongest the prisons amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

While announcing the extension, a division bench of the high court presided over by Justices Siddharth Mridul and Talwant Singh said, "Director General (Prisons) shall ensure that this order is conveyed to all the 2,177 undertrial prisoners by telephone, as well as through all other available modes. Ld. Member Secretary, DSLSA, shall coordinate with DG (Prisons) in this regard."

During the course of hearing, Delhi Police standing counsel Rahul Mehra submitted that they have no objection to the extension.

A high-power committee had recently recommended that the interim bails of 2,177 undertrial prisoners should be further extended as it would be dangerous to put them back in jail given the Covid-19 scare prevailing in the country.

The committee, headed by Delhi High Court judge Justice Hima Kohli, through a press release had stated that the period of the interim bail granted to the prisoners would start expiring on or after May 9.

"Considering the fact that the situation of the pandemic as on date is still the same, and taking into account the paucity of space in the jail premises to create sufficient number of isolation wards, so as to keep all the prisoners coming back after expiry of their interim bail separate from other inmates to prevent spread of Covid- 19, it is recommended that this period of interim bail should be further suitably extended," it said.

The committee felt that moving separate applications for each undertrial seeking extension of interim bail would be cumbersome and lead to wastage of judicial time. It recommended that the high court should extend the period of interim bail for a further period of at least 45 days.