285. In his reply, the representative of the State party said that the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act was intended to put an end to the exploitation of certain sections of the population. Sinae bonded labourers were among the weakest and poorest members of soaiety, the Aat avoided any OompleX, technical procedures for receiving complaints and instead made the States responsible for ascertaining whether bonded labour existed within their jurisdiction. Such powers might be conferred on district magistrates with the assistance of “Vigilance Committees”. 286. Referring to questions about conditions of detention, he explained that the All-India Committee on Jail Reforms had made recommendations on prison administration, particularly the improvement of conditions for certain categories of prisoners, water supply and sanitary facilities, training of prison staff and vocational programmes to assist in the rehabilitation of Most of the recommendations had been implemented by the States. prisoners. The state governments had also been advised to appoint a Board of Visitors in each district who would visit all police look-ups to ensure that prisoners under trial were lodged in separate facilities from those used for convicted inmates. 281. The Supreme Court had held that recourse to third-degree methods by police officers resulting in the death of a person in police custody was a serious and aggravated offence and that the punishment for such offences should be sufficiently severe to deter others from indulging in such The Mental Health Act of 1987 protected citizens from being behaviour. detained in psychiatric institutions without sufficient cause and prescribed conditions for the licensing and control of such institutions. The right not to be subjected to compulsory medical or scientific experimentation was implied in articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution. 288. With regard to that issue , members of the Committee wished to know what the maximum length of detention was for persons who remained in custody pending trialt what legal, administrative or other safeguards were provided against involuntary disappearances of personsr and whether there had been any cases of involuntary disappearances where the remedy of habeas or other effective remedies had been successfully applied. 289. In his reply, the representative of the State party said that the police could not detain an accused person arrested without a warrant for more than 24 hours, The Judicial Magistrate could, however , authorise the detention of an accused person in police custody for a period not exceeding 15 days orI in custody other than that of the police, for lc??ger periods. H.&se8 coruutl was an effective remedy in cases involving disappearances. . to a ferr . 290, In connection with that issue, members of the Committee dotailed information on measures taken to reduce the cost of the delays involved in the judicial process; and on the rules and advancement of magistrates. the appointment, recruitment how extensively the free legal aid and advisory scheme under Services Authority Act, 1987, had been resorted to since the -72- wished to receive litigation and which applied to They also asked the Legal enactment of the