After activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case, was shifted to the high-security anda cell of Mumbai’s Taloja jail earlier this month, his partner has claimed the move is adversely affecting his health. The 70-year-old’s lawyer has said the anda cell is “akin to solitary confinement”.
About:
An anda (egg) cell is a high-security prison cell, so called because of its oblong shape.
Only central prisons across India have anda cells, built by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The cells are specially designed to secure high-risk prisoners, with the oblong shape providing a better view while monitoring and patrolling.
There are two security cordons, inner and outer. Each cell opens inward into an open space, where inmates are allowed out in turns during specific hours.
More prison officers and staff are posted in anda cells than in ordinary barracks. Every staff member entering or exiting has to sign a register, where their details are noted. The size of the cell in different prisons depends on the number of inmates kept there.
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