The Madras High Court today directed Inspector General of Jail, Puducherry, to permit technicians of cell phone companies to visit the prison and to finalise the modalities for installing mobile phone jammers.
Justice K K Sasidharan, who passed the interim orders on petitions filed by Reliance Communications, Bharati Airtel Limited and Indus Towers Limited challenging the direction issued by Puducherry District Collector to remove all mobile phone towers within a radius of 1,500 meters from the central jail.
The Puducherry government had decided to remove the towers following allegation that some convicts in the jail were calling merchants and threatening them for money using mobile phones illegally posessed by them.
The petitioners contended that towers were erected and commissioned long ago and the District Collector erred in invoking the provisions code of Criminal Procedure to remove the towers.
There were several mobile phone towers erected by various service providers and as such, the decision would affect them financially as well as from the service point of view, they said.
The judge directed the IG to get instructions from the mobile companies on the feasibility of providing jammers by the companies at their own cost.
The Government Pleader of Puducherry submitted that if the service Providers agree to provide jammers at their own cost the Government would not insist for removal of mobile phone towers and said they should take licence from the prescribed authority for that.
The judge directed the Puducherry District Collector to convene a meeting of the mobile providers and finalise the modalities of erection of jammers inside jail and file a report within a week.
