The Bombay High Court on Thursday told the government to revise its rule regarding non-vegetarian food in jails to make room for everybodys taste and choice. If Indian prisoners cannot get food of their choice,why are foreign prisoners an exception, the court asked today. Last year,the government banned sale of food items in prison canteens which was allowed under Maharashtra Prison Manual earlier. Authorities also stopped serving non-veg food to prisoners. But foreigners lodged in the state prisons get bread-butter and eggs. The High Court is currently dealing with petition filed by Sardar Shahawali Khan,1993 bomb blasts convict,opposing the ban on sale of food in prison canteens. During the hearing on Thursday,court noticed that foreigners get different food. Public Prosecutor P A Pol told the court that it was so because foreigners do not eat chappatis. Revise your rules. Make room for everybodys tastes and choice. Otherwise we will strike down the circular (which banned sale of food in canteens), judges said,adjourning hearing till September 14. Earlier,affidavit filed by deputy inspector general of prisons Ashok Patil stated that if prisoners got food of their choice,the rigorous imprisonment would become soft. Court had taken strong exception to this justification and summoned Deputy Inspector General of Prisons. But on Thursday,prosecutor told the court that affidavit was based on observations made by Inspector General of Prisons,not the DIG (who was present in the court). Prisoners do not lose any other rights except that they are cut off from the society, the judges said,adding that such (prison) officers should not have any place in the system as they cannot be reformers.
