UMED SINGH Vs. STATE OF HARYANA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) UMED Singh (51) and his wife Roshni Devi (41) were found guilty of the murder of their daughter-in-law Anoop Devi, who died of burns on June 14, 2006. They were both sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 IPC and to pay fine of Rs. 10,000/- each. Umed Singh and Roshni Devi are parents of six children. Two of their older sons are married and settled. The younger children are Poonam (18), Bholi (15), Jaivir (13) and Kavita (10), who are under the care of their uncle. We are concerned with the welfare of the children of the convicts, particularly regarding their health, and education. Therefore, we chose to examine this case from the angle of the responsibility of the State towards the children of convicts. We wished to see if the convicts were getting minimum wage in view of the judgment in State of Gujarat v. Hon'ble High Court of Gujarat AIR 1998 SC 3164. We also wanted to examine if the convicts were able to send money home for the maintenance of their children.

(2.) IN the certificate dated December 6, 2008 filed by Superintendent of Jail, Bhiwani, it has been disclosed that Umed Singh is being paid Rs. 12/- per day and Roshni is paid paid Rs. 10/- per day. Rs. 250/- and Rs. 3172/- stand deposited in the account of Umed Singh while Rs. 890/- stands deposited in the account of Roshni Devi upto October 31, 2008. On the basis of this, District Magistrate, Bhiwani furnished his supporting affidavit.

(3.) AFFIDAVIT of Dr. John V George, IPS, Director General of Prisons, Haryana, dated February 25, 2009 reveals that the State of Haryana had complied with the order of the Supreme Court in Crl. Appeal 308 of 1986 (reported as State of Gujarat v. Hon'ble High Court of Gujarat AIR 1998 SC 3164). A Wage Fixation Board was constituted on March 18, 1999 for recommending wages for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled prisoners in Haryana. The Wage Fixation Board fixed wages for prisoners on July 15, 1999 as follows :- i. Skilled Rs. 16/- per day ii. Semi-skilled Rs. 12/- per day iii. Un-skilled Rs. 10/- per day.