Kerala High Court Orders Prison Department To Set Up Office For Committee Overseeing Supreme Court's Prison Reforms Directions
Anamika MJ
16 July 2026 12:17 PM IST
Retired HC judge Justice R. Narayana Pisharadi has agreed to head the Committee.
The Kerala High Court on Thursday (16 July) ordered the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to take immediate steps for setting up of the Office of the State Level Monitoring Committee, constituted to oversee implementation of Supreme Court's directions with regard to prison conditions in the State.
The Court has directed that the office be set up in Ernakulam District, in consultation with the Member Secretary KeLSA (Kerala Legal Service Authority), within two weeks.
The directions were issued by the Division bench of Chief justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M, when it was informed that retired High Court Judge Justice R. Narayana Pisharadi had accepted to be the Chairperson of the Committee.
The Court was considering a suo motu writ petition initiated over prison-related issues in the State in line with recent directions of the Apex Court.
Earlier, the Court was informed that Justice Pisharadi had been nominated as Chairperson of the proposed Committee but he subsequently withdrew his consent due to the State's failure to constitute the same within a reasonable time.
Subsequently, the Court had requested Justice R, Narayana Pisharadi to accept the Chairmanship of the Monitoring Committee.
Today, it was informed that Justice Pisharadi had accepted the request.
"We have been informed that pursuant to our request, Honourable Justice Narayana Pisharadi, retired former Judge of the High Court of Kerala agreed to be the Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee. We appreciate the gesture of Honourable Justice Narayana Pisharadi for accepting the request," the Court noted.
The Court then directed the DG (Prisons) to take immediate steps for setting up of the Office.
"We direct the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to take immediate steps for the setting up of office in Ernakulam District and providing remuneration, logistics and support for functioning of the monitoring committee in consultation with Member Secretary KeLSA within two weeks from date," Court ordered.
Case Title: Suo Motu v. The State of Kerala and Ors.
Case No: WP(C) 13064/ 2026
Counsel for the respondents: Zeba Mujeeb - KeLSA, C. Rasheed - Spl. GP
