Acting Chief Justice B R Sarangi and Justice M S Raman, hearing petitions of improving living conditions of convicts and undertrial prisoners (UTPs), said this in an order on Friday.
Currently, the 87 jails in the State have the full capacity to house 19,824 prisoners. However, a large number of prisons in Odisha are experiencing beyond 20% overcrowding and a substantial number beyond 50% of overcrowding.
The Orissa High Court had earlier directed the State government to expedite measures to decongest the overcrowded prisons and formulate a comprehensive action plan to keep the contagion at bay.
Infections have spurted in most of the 87 jails in the State after the outbreak of the second wave of the disease.
