Around 120 mentally ill undertrials and convicts have been lodged in Dum Dum Central jail for years, in violation of a Supreme Court order.

The apex court ruling says criminal lunatics lodged in jails have to be segregated from the other inmates and sent to a government-run mental hospital.

In the absence of treatment, legal proceedings against the undertrials cannot start. The rules state that a mentally ill person can stand trial only after a doctor certifies him fit to do so.

“Yes, there are some mentally ill inmates at Dum Dum Central jail but I cannot recall their number. Efforts are on to upgrade the infrastructure at the jail hospital and provide better treatment to them,” inspector-general (prisons) B.D. Sharma told Metro on Sunday.

The hospital at the Dum Dum jail functions without a single psychiatrist. “This was raised at a recent meeting with central government officials on prison reforms,” Sharma added.

The inspector-general refused comment when asked why the apex court order was not being complied with, but another official said admitting an inmate to hospital would require posting two guards round the clock. “The jails are facing a staff crunch and cannot dispense with guards. Besides, the infrastructure in the asylums is worse than in the jail,” the official claimed.

The prisoners, a source said, are not shown as “lunatics” in the jail register as that would have called for their immediate admission to hospital.

“Some of the inmates are suffering from critical ailments, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis. Their condition has worsened since they entered the jail for want of proper medication and care,” the official said.

“Around 20 of the inmates have been lodged in the jail for more than 15 years. There are some who have long served their sentence but are still languishing because their families are not willing to take them back. There has been no attempt by the government to rehabilitate them,” said Tapas Roy, the founder-secretary of Sevac, a non-government organisation.

The organisation, which works for the National Human Rights Commission, has identified 120 inmates of Dum Dum Central jail as “mentally ill” and has been arranging treatment for them.

“Our doctors and officials visit the jail once a week. Most of the inmates have been suffering from serious disorders and are not in a position to face trial. Let alone treatment, they are not even called for legal or psychological counselling. Some are even forced to share the cell with non-lunatic inmates, which is dangerous for both,” said Roy.

Psychiatrist Ranadip Ghosh Roy said ailments like schizophrenia and bipolar, if left untreated, could spin out of control.

“The mentally ill undertrials and convicts should be treated in hospital. The authorities should also work for their rehabilitation once they come out of jail after serving their sentence,” he said.