Seemingly sensitive to Vijay Mallya's allegations of “pathetic” prisons in India, prison authorities in Mumbai are setting up a brand new block of cells in Arthur Road jail to meet international norms on prisoner rights. An official said an old ground-plus-one structure within the 93-year old jail in the heart of Mumbai will be demolished to make way for the block with about a dozen cells and toilets spread over the ground and first floors. An official said they expect the building to be ready in six months and house fugitive millionaires who could be brought back to face trials in frauds.
They said, “The cells will meet European and UK prison standards and all human rights criteria. The public works department has started work and received quotations for demolition of the building. As of now, we have limited cells that meet global standards. So we are going to build more modern cells for extradited smugglers, fraudsters and accused hiding abroad.” The new building is being planned as a final solution to a trend among fugitive businessmen to cite “poor jail conditions” as an excuse to oppose extradition to India. The officer added, “There will only be a specific number of prisoners in these cells. They will be clean, have hygienic toilets, enough sun and light and space to move around.”
Like most other Indian jails, Arthur Road is definitely overcrowded with only few facilities for prisoners' well-being. Only built for around 800 prisoners, it houses around 2,800 at any given time. The CBI and ED has a lot on their hands, with Mallya, and diamantaires Nirav Modi and uncle Mehul Choksi to bring back from other countries. Since fight for these fugitives will play out in foreign courts, global human rights standards include rules that apply to imprisonment, rights of detainees, condition of jails, etc, all that will have to be met.
