Less than a fortnight after the Punjab and Haryana High Court called for jail-wise details of inmates undergoing opioid-assisted treatment after taking suo motu cognisance of drug dependence among jail inmates, a Division Bench was on Tuesday told that no less than 15,768 inmates – out of total 35,449 in Punjab jails – were registered with Out-Patient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) Clinics.As the matter came up for resumed hearing, an affidavit by Punjab Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons) was placed before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rajesh Gaur.Among other things, it said as many as 2,124 of 4,918 inmates in Amritsar central jail and 1,064 out of 1,978 in Bathinda jail were registered with the clinics. The affidavit added that as many as 5656 inmates fell in the 26 to 35 age bracket, another 4544 were in the 36 to 45 bracket and 2951 were placed on the 18 to 25 years old age group. The matter will now come up for further hearing on September 8.The affidavit assume significance in view of the figures earlier placed before the Bench by the Administrative Judge of the Mansa Sessions Division. Among other things, the report said 530 of the 767 inmates in the jail—approximately 69 per cent—were registered with the OOAT Clinic established within the jail premises. The Administrative Judge noted that this indicated “a significant prevalence of drug addiction among the inmates”.Taking up the matter, the Bench on the previous date of hearing directed the State to spell out the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing registration of jail inmates with the OOAT Clinic. “The State shall further clarify the standard operating procedures (SOPs) governing the registration of jail inmates with the OOAT Clinic. It shall also be clarified as to how the objective of normalising these jail inmates and tapering them off from the drugs is proposed to be achieved,” the Bench had directed.The Bench had also observed that the PIL was registered by the Court on its own motion on the basis of the June 23 report by the Administrative Judge noticing that “a large number of jail inmates, being drug addicts, are administered upon Buprenorphine (2 mg) in combination with Naloxone (0.5 mg). The dosage prescribed ranges from one to four tablets, depending upon their medical condition and treatment requirements”.The report also raised three specific concerns regarding such inmates: their de-addiction and follow-up after release from jail; whether they were actually de-addicted and merged in the normal stream of life; and whether young inmates were being provided assistance by counsellors and psychiatrists.The Administrative Judge also stressed the need for collection and assessment of data regarding the treatment. The report called for figures showing how many individuals, including jail inmates, had successfully completed treatment with Buprenorphine-Naloxone and reached the discontinuation phase. It observed that if a person undergoing opioid-assisted treatment was unable to reach that phase, “it may indicate ongoing opioid dependence, which can lead to various mental health disorders.”The report also called for data on the availability of treatment-related support in jails as well as private clinics providing opioid-assisted treatment, including “qualified psychiatrists, nurses, and psychosocial support services”.