Will Ramesh Kadam’s jail change?

Mumbai: The sessions court is expected to hear an application on Monday moved by the Byculla prison authorities seeking to transfer former NCP MLA Ramesh Kadam from Byculla jail to some other jail because of his alleged misbehaviour. The Bombay high court has asked a sessions court judge in Mumbai to hear and decide, on priority basis, the application moved by Byculla jail.

The division bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla has directed the judge to hear the matter out of turn after it was brought to their notice by a sessions court judge, in her report dated July 28, 2017, that during her visit to Byculla jail “it was found that inmate Ramesh Kadam was influencing other inmates and was forming a group in the jail, which is obviously a threat to the inmates as well as the jail administration.”

The judge had visited Byculla jail following a HC order to survey the living conditions of the inmates. The HC directive for the judge to visit the jail was issued while hearing a bunch of PILs highlighting the poor condition of the jail inmates.

After perusing Byculla jail Superintendent Aurna Mugutrao’s affidavit, the bench said, “The affidavit shows a shocking state of affairs. Various instances of Kadam’s misbehaviour have been set out in the said affidavit. In fact, it is noted in the affidavit that when a judge of the Mumbai sessions court, as per the directions issued in this PIL, visited Byculla jail, Kadam misbehaved with judge.”

The bench also noted that the Byculla jail superintendent has made an application before the sessions judge for transferring Kadam to any other jail such as one in Thane or Taloja. 

Public prosecutor in the high court F R Shaikh, while speaking to The Asian Age said, “The superintendent of police had gone to the sessions court on September 21, but the judge was not available that day and hence the HC order would be brought to sessions court notice on September 25.”