Shimla, May 20 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to send necessary requisitions to the recruiting agency within a period of one month to expedite the process of filling up 178 posts of different categories lying vacant in the Department of Prisons & Correctional Services.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Sandeep Sharma passed these orders on a petition taken up suo moto by the court following directions issued by the Supreme Court in the matter related to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across the country.

During the course of hearing, the court was informed that 762 posts were sanctioned in the Department of Prisons & Correctional Services, Himachal Pradesh, out of which 584 posts have been filled up, while 178 posts are lying vacant.

Ankush Dass Sood, amicus curiae, who was assisted by advocates Vandana Misra and Raj Kumar Negi, submitted that during their visit to the sub-jail in Nalagarh in Solan district, they found that even though the construction of a new building of the jail has been completed, unless the sewerage line is not made functional, it will be of no use as no jail inmate can be lodged there.

The court directed the respondents to complete the construction of sewerage line preferably on or before August 31, 2022.