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"24. Once we make it a constitutional mandate that no prisoner shall tie handcuffed or fettered routinely or merely for the convenience of the custodian or escort and we declare that to be the law -the distinction between classes of prisoners becomes constitutionally obsolete. Apart from the fact that economic and social importance cannot be the basis for classifying prisoners for purposes of handcuffs or otherwise, how can we assume that a rich criminal or undertrial is any different from a poor or pariah convict or under-trial in the matter of security risk? An affluent in custody may be as dangerous or desperate as an indigent, if not more. He may be more prone to be rescued than an ordinary person. We hold that it is arbitrary and irrational to classify prisoners for purposes of handcuffs, into 'B' Class and ordinary class. No one shall be fettered in any form based on superior class differentia, as the law treats them equally. It is brutalising to handcuff a person in public and so is unreasonable to do so. Of course, the police escort will find it comfortable to fetter their charges and be at ease but that is not a relevant consideration.
29. Some increase in the number of escorts, arming them if necessary, special training for escort police, transport of prisoners in protected vehicles, are easily available alternatives and, in fact, are adopted in some States in the country where handcuffing is virtually abolished, e.g. Tamil Nadu.
30. Even in cases where, in extreme circumstances, handcuffs have to be put on the prisoner, the escorting authority must record contemporaneously the reasons for doing so. Otherwise, under Article 21 the procedure will be unfair and bad in law. Nor will mere recording the reasons do, as that can be a mechanical process mindlessly made. The escorting officer, whenever he handcuffs a prisoner produced in Court, must show the reasons so recorded to the Presiding Judge and get his approval. Otherwise, there is no control over possible arbitrariness in applying handcuffs and fetters. The minions of the police establishment must make good their security recipes by getting judicial approval. And, once the Court directs that handcuffs shall be off, no escorting authority can overrule judicial direction. This is implicit in Article 21 which insists upon fairness, reasonableness and justice in the very procedure which authorises stringent deprivation of life and liberty. The ratio in Smt. Maneka Gandhi v Union of India and Anr., and Sunil Batra v Delhi Administration and Ors., AIR 1978 SC 1675, 1978 CriLJ 1741, ( 1978 ) 4 SCC 494, [ 1979 ] 1 SCR 392 read in proper light leads us to this conclusion.

In the same case at pages 875 and 876 it was held as under:

"Even in cases where, in extreme circumstances, handcuffs have to be put on the prisoner, the escorting authority must record contemporaneously the reasons for doing so. Otherwise, under Article 21 the procedure will be unfair and bad in law. Nor will mere recording the reasons do, as that can be a mechanical process mindlessly made. The escorting officer, whenever he handcuffs a prisoner produced in Court, must show the reasons so recorded to the Presiding Judge and get his approval. Otherwise, there is no control over possible arbitrariness in applying handcuffs and fetters. The minions of the police establishment must make good their security recipes by getting judicial approval. And, once the Court directs that handcuffs shall be off, no escorting authority can overrule judicial direction. This is implicit in Article 21 which insists upon fairness, reasonableness and justice in the very procedure which authorises stringent deprivation of life and liberty".

Section 832. Method of using handcuffs and chains.--In securing a prisoner under escort, the primary issue is that the policeman in charge should be alert. He there be negligence in this respect, no amount or method of tying or handcuffing will prevent a prisoners escape.

Section 833.--If it be necessary to use handcuffs, the key-holes of the handcuffs should be kept uppermost, as in this position it is not easy to pen them by striking on some hard substance. Care should also be taken that the handcuffs are not too large; otherwise, prisoner can slip his hand through them.