§ 9. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Under- Secretary of State for India the number of cases in which the sentence of solitary imprisonment has been awarded in Indian courts during the last two years; and whether the Government will consider the advisability of deleting solitary imprisonment from the Indian penal code?
§ Earl WINTERTONI have no figures of the cases in which sentences of solitary confinement have been passed by the Courts in the last two years, but by an Act of 1925 the old extreme form of solitary confinement was abolished as a gaol punishment and "cellular confinement" substituted.
§ Mr. LANSBURYDoes not the Secretary of State think that the time has arrived to abolish this sort of punishment altogether, and will he try to find out how many cases there have been in the last two years of this most terrible punishment?
§ Earl WINTERTONI think the hon. Member does not appreciate that there has been a change. Cellular confinement is a form of punishment which is given for gaol offences, much in the same way as punishment is given in the gaols of this country. It merely means that there may be no communication with other prisoners 1829 and that it may not last more than 14 days at a time, with an interval of at least 14 days before it is repeated. With regard to publishing information, it would involve writing to every provincial Government and would involve them and the Government of India in great labour and expense, but I will consider whether it is possible to supply the information.