SRINAGAR: Three Rajya Sabha members from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference have urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address humanitarian concerns related to prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir lodged in jails outside the Union Territory and to expedite the restoration of full statehood along with notification of Business Rules.
In a memorandum submitted to the Home Minister, MPs Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo and Gurwinder Singh Oberoi said thousands of families continue to suffer due to the incarceration of their relatives in distant prisons, which they said hampers regular visits, access to legal remedies and family contact.
The MPs said they have received numerous representations highlighting long and exhausting travel, prolonged waiting periods and humiliating procedures faced by families, including elderly parents and children. They claimed that in several cases detainees remain in custody despite serious charges not having been established, resulting in what they described as collective punishment of families rather than accountability of individuals.
Calling for a review of the policy, the MPs urged the Centre to reconsider the practice of lodging prisoners from Jammu and Kashmir in distant jails and to release those against whom no serious charges are proven. They said incarceration far from home amounts to punishment rooted in poverty rather than guilt.
The memorandum also reiterated the demand for restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, citing repeated assurances made by the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in Parliament. The MPs referred to the Supreme Court judgement of December 11, 2023, which recorded the Union Government’s submission that statehood would be restored at the earliest and directed completion of democratic processes.
Noting that elections have since been held and an elected government is in place, the MPs said the continued delay in restoring statehood is causing democratic, administrative and emotional distress and is increasingly viewed as a denial of constitutional dignity.
They further pointed out that Business Rules governing the functioning of the Jammu and Kashmir administration have not yet been notified despite the formation of an elected government. The absence of these rules, they said, has led to ambiguity in governance, overlap of authority and weakened public accountability.
Urging the Union Government to notify the Business Rules at the earliest, the MPs said this was essential to ensure smooth, transparent and democratic governance. Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan said the issues raised in the memorandum were central to restoring trust, dignity and democratic normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and required urgent attention.
