PRAYAGRAJ, March 23 -- The Allahabad high court has directed the Etawah central jail's superintendent to ensure that a high-security prisoner's religious practices, including offering prayers five times a day during Ramzan, are not "interfered with" and that he is "allowed" to have the Quran in his possession.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by one Uzma Abid, the wife of the jail inmate, a division bench comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Nand Prabha Shukla, however, clarified that the routine security measures, which are being followed for the protection of inmates inside the jail, shall continue to exist.

The petitioner had claimed that her husband was not being allowed to offer prayers as per his religious practic...