KARACHI, Aug 16: The transportation and protection of under-trial prisoners should be brought under the control of one agency, the Sindh High Court ordered on Thursday. The direction was made in the court of suo motu proceedings on the condition of UTPs being conducted by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab.

Appearing as amicus curie, Advocate Ilyas Khan submitted that new vehicles for transporting UTPs from prisons to trial courts had not been delivered as promised.

Inspector-General of Prisons Mohammad Yamin Khan stated that most of the vehicles had been delivered, but to the police department.

The bench observed that the dichotomy of control over the transportation and protection of UTPs caused delays and confusion. It asked the prisons IG and the chief secretary to make a suitable amendment to Rule 173 of the Prison Rules to combine the two responsibilities and assign them to the prison police.

IG Yamin Khan said in his statement that 85 per cent of the UTPs across the province were being produced on the dates fixed by trial courts. With the acquisition of new vehicles the remaining 20 per cent would also be transported as required by the courts.

Special home secretary Rashid Alam, who earlier ensured the separation of convicted and under-trial prisoners as ordered by the bench, was also present at the proceedings, adjourned to Sept 12.