<h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">Conjugal Rights</strong></h1><p class="ql-align-justify">&nbsp;</p><ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The <strong>State of Punjab</strong> has furthered the cause of right to life and personal liberty of prisoners by allowing conjugal visits for inmates.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">It is expected that this initiative will strengthen matrimonial bonds and ensure prisoners' good conduct.</li></ul><p class="ql-align-justify"><br></p><h3 class="ql-align-justify">About</h3><ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Conjugal rights are rights created by marriage, i.e. <strong>right of the husband or the wife to the company of their spouse.</strong></li><li class="ql-align-justify">In the context of prisons, however, conjugal visits refer to the concept of allowing a prisoner to spend some time in privacy with his spouse within the precincts of a jail.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Conjugal visits are internationally recognized through the <strong>United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights etc.</strong></li><li class="ql-align-justify">In India, Most prison Acts and Rules across the country accept the importance of maintenance of continuity in family and social relations.</li></ul><p class="ql-align-justify"><br></p><h3 class="ql-align-justify"><strong>Judicial view</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-align-justify">In the <strong>Jasvir Singh vs State of Punjab case</strong>, the High Court held that the right to conjugality is available to prisoners under <strong>Article 21</strong>, subject to restrictions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">In the case of <strong>Meharaj vs State case</strong>, the Madras High court stated that even though conjugal visits could not be held as a fundamental right, the prisoner would still be eligible to avail leave for conjugal visits if there are ‘extraordinary reasons’ such as ‘infertility treatments.’</li></ul><p class="ql-align-justify"><br></p><h3 class="ql-align-justify"><strong>Punjab Model of Conjugal Visits</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The state guidelines clarifies that conjugal rights of the prisoners are more of a privilege than a right and provides few rules for it.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The average time for conjugal visits shall be two hours, allowed once every two months.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The visiting spouse has to provide marriage proof and medical certificates declaring that he or she is free from HIV or any other sexually transmitted disease, COVID-19 or any other infectious disease.</li><li>This facility will not be available for high-risk prisoners, terrorists, child abuse and sexual offenders, death row convicts, prisoners who suffer from HIV etc.</li></ul>