Indian Prisoners

SC issues directions to improve policy governing remission of convicts

The Supreme Court has issued a slew of directions aimed at standardising and improving the transparency of policies governing permanent remission to convicts in the country. The directions of the bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih mandate greater accessibility to policy information, timely communication of decisions, and individualised consideration of cases to prevent arbitrary conditions. The bench was hearing a suo motu case of 2021 titled as "Policy Strategy for Grant of Bail" and directed all states and union territories to inform convicts of any rejection of applications for permanent remission within one week. They will also have to forward copies of these rejections to the district legal services authorities concerned to ensure appropriate steps were taken to provide legal aid to the convicts. At this stage, we issue the following directions, which will apply to all the states: (i) The copies of the existing policies governing the grant of ...

Caste-based labour division in prisons is unconstitutional: Supreme Court

Asking the marginalised to clean and sweep 'while allowing the high castes to do cooking' is discriminatory, it says

Tihar faces challenges as inmates exploit 5G network, tech upgrades needed

As part of the contraband seizures in the past 13 months, Tihar Jail has confiscated 616 knives and 6850 grams of narcotic substances

Nano tales from an Indian prison

Sudha Bharadwaj's book offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the lives of prisoners in a colonial-era prison in Pune, leaving readers to ponder why some of them are languishing behind bars

'Ganja' lists among contraband frequently smuggled into prisons: Parl panel

TN govt informed that the throw method using a catapult is one of the common approaches employed to smuggle the contraband into the prisons

Overcrowding in jails, delayed justice are a pressing concern: Par panel

A parliamentary panel has observed that overcrowding in jails and delayed justice have become a pressing concern, leading to a series of consequences for both the prisoners and the criminal justice system as a whole. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by BJP MP Brijlal, also recommended that special attention should be given to pregnant women on the line of a judgement of the Supreme Court where it was observed that a jail must have adequate facilities for prenatal and post-natal care for female prisoners as well as their children. "The committees, notes that the issue of overcrowding and delayed justice has become a pressing concern, leading to a series of consequences for both the prisoners and the criminal justice system as a whole. The committee recommends that prisoners from overcrowded jails may be transferred to other jails with vacant cells in the same state or other states by signing MoUs to that effect. This kind of an arrangement can be mutual i

8,330 Indian nationals lodged in prisons in 90 countries: Govt tells

As many as 8,330 Indian nationals are lodged in jails in foreign countries with 1,611 imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates alone, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply in the Upper House, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said 1,461 Indian nationals were in prisons in Saudi Arabia followed by 1,222 in Nepal, 696 in Qatar, 446 in Kuwait, 341 in Malaysia, 308 in Pakistan, 294 in the US, 277 in Bahrain and 249 in the UK. He said 178 Indian nationals are languishing in jails in China, 157 in Italy and 139 in Oman. Indian nationals are lodged in prisons in 90 countries, according to the information shared by Muraleedharan with the Rajya Sabha. "The issue of release and repatriation of Indian nationals in foreign prisons is regularly pursued by Indian missions and posts abroad with the local authorities concerned," the minister said. He said due to strong privacy laws prevailing in many countries, the local authorities do not shar

HC seeks report on medical condition of prisoners over 75 years of age

The Delhi High Court has sought a report from jail authorities here on the medical condition of all convicts and undertrial prisoners aged above 75 years. A bench headed by Justice Siddharth Mridul also asked that details related to any medical treatment being given to such inmates be also stated in the report. "The Medical Superintendent concerned is directed to furnish a fresh status report regarding the current medical condition of all the convicts and under-trial prisoners, who are above the age of 75 years (currently lodged in jail), including complete details of the treatments, if any, being provided to them, on or before the next date of hearing," the bench, also comprising Justice Mini Pushkarna, said in its order passed earlier this month. The order came on a suo motu case initiated by the high court in 2005 on the basis of a news item published titled '92 -year-old is Tihar undertrial'. The court had, in its order passed on February 2005, observed that the news report ...

Pakistan to release 500 Indian prisoners after completing jail term

Pakistan and India regularly arrest each other's fishermen for violating the maritime boundary, which is poorly marked, the report said

Security beefed up in Dibrugarh as Amritpal Singh to be shifted to prison

Security has been beefed up in Dibrugarh as pro-Khalistan radical preacher Amritpal Singh will be shifted to a prison in the Upper Assam town from Punjab on Sunday, police said. Punjab Police Inspector General Sukhchain Singh Gill said Amritpal Singh will be taken to Dibrugarh under the National Security Act (NSA). A multi-tier security arrangement has been made at the Central Jail in Dibrugarh where Singh will be lodged, a senior official told PTI. "The jail compound has been surrounded by Assam Police's elite Black Cat Commandos, CRPF and jail security personnel. The security inside the prison has also been tightened," he said. Dibrugarh Traffic Police has also been alerted for road clearance from the airport to the prison, a 15-km stretch. A special team is in place along with policemen in plain clothes. According to sources, Singh is being brought aboard a special flight, which took off from Bathinda at 8.25 am. Singh was arrested by the Punjab Police around 6.45 am from Rode

Govt to launch scheme to provide financial help to poor prisoners: MHA

In a move expected to decongest the prisons, the Centre has decided to launch a special scheme to provide financial support to poor people languishing in jails as they are unable to afford the penalty or the bail amount. "This will enable poor prisoners, majority of whom belong to socially disadvantaged or marginalised groups with lower education and income level, to get out of prison, the Home Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The broad contours of the scheme - Support for Poor Prisoners - have been finalised in consultation with stakeholders, it said. To ensure the benefits of the scheme reach the poor prisoners, technology-driven solutions will be put in place, E-prisons platform will be reinforced and District Legal Services Authority will be strengthen, besides stakeholders will be sensitised and stress will be given on capacity building. Providing financial support to poor prisoners who are unable to afford their penalties or bail amounts was one of the announcements ..

Centre to provide financial aid to poor prisoners unable to secure bail

The Central government will provide financial support to states in order to extend relief to those poor prisoners who are unable to avail bail or get released from prison

8,437 Indian prisoners are lodged in foreign prisons; UAE with max 1,966

There are a total 8,437 Indian prisoners in foreign prisons, including under trials. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the maximum with 1,966 Indian prisoners

Every prisoner has right to apply for bail; access legal aid: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court has said that every prisoner has a fundamental right to file the bail application without delay

Prison resources inadequate despite 24% jump in budget allocation in 5 yrs

In 2021, govt spent Rs 1,624.4 crore, or 77%, on undertrials alone

'Jail ka khana' gets 5-star FSSAI rating in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad

Telling someone to taste 'jail ka khana' is considered a curse in the Hindi heartland, mainly because the food served in jail is considered unpalatable

Pakistan confirms it has 682 Indian prisoners detained in its jails

Pakistan on Friday confirmed that it has 682 Indian prisoners detained in its jails, as Islamabad and New Delhi exchanged a list of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody

No blanket denial of furlough to prisoners serving life terms: SC

The top court noted that in contradistinction to parole, in furlough, the prisoner is deemed to be serving the sentence inasmuch as the period of furlough is not reduced from actual serving period

3 in 4 prisoners in Indian jails are under trial, highest in 25 years

Three in four prisoners in India's jails are under trial, according to government data for the year 2020. This is the highest share of undertrial detainees in prison since at least 1995.

BS Number Wise: When prison means business

Products made by inmates generate sales that rival some of India's largest companies