Time To End Caste Based Discrimination In Prisons In India: A Significant Law Reform In Response To The Directions Of The Supreme Court
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63682/jns.v14i9S.2990Keywords:
caste-based discrimination, unconstitutional practices, articles 14, 15, 17, 21 and 23, Supreme Court directions, prison manual amendmentAbstract
In the wake of recent order of the Supreme Court on the issue of caste-based discrimination of prisoners, 'Model Prison Manual, 2016' and the 'Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023' have been amended. As per the new addition in the manual, the prison authorities will have to strictly ensure that there is no discrimination, classification, segregation of prisoners on the basis of their caste. It shall be strictly ensured that there is no discrimination of prisoners in allotment of any duty or work in prisons on the basis of their caste. Changes have also been made in the 'Miscellaneous' of the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023 with a new heading 'Prohibition of caste-based discrimination in Prisons and Correctional Institutions' as Section 55(A).
This paper attempts to give an overview on the issue of caste based discrimination of prisoners in India and make a thorough analysis how various State prison manuals sanction blatantly unconstitutional practices, which are violative of Articles 14, 15, 17, 21, and 23 of the Constitution of India. The study also touches upon the provisions of 'The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013' which shall have a binding effect even in prisons and correctional institutions. The paper talks about the significant changes made in Indian legislation following the directions of the apex court in the case Sukanya Santha v. Union of India 2024.
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Constitution of India, 1950 – Articles 14, 15, and 21.Government of India. The Constitution of India. Ministry of Law and Justice. Available at: https://legislative.gov.in/constitution-of-india
Supreme Court of India Judgment on Caste Discrimination in Prisons: Supreme Court of India. (Case Name & Citation – Insert Specific Judgment Reference). Available at: Supreme Court of India Official Website
Prisons Act, 1894 and Model Prison Manual, 2016: Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Model Prison Manual for the Superintendence and Management of Prisons in India, 2016. Available at: https://www.mha.gov.in
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) – Prison Statistics India Reports: National Crime Records Bureau (2022). Prison Statistics India 2021. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Available at: https://ncrb.gov.in
Human Rights Commission Reports on Prison Conditions in India:National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Annual Reports on Prison Reforms in India. Available at: https://nhrc.nic.in
Reports on Caste-Based Discrimination in Prisons:Amnesty International. Locked Away and Forgotten: The Invisibility of Dalits in Indian Prisons. (2021). Available at: https://www.amnesty.org, Human Rights Watch (2020). India’s Broken Criminal Justice System: Caste Discrimination in Prisons. Available at: https://www.hrw.org
Legal and Social Commentary on Caste in Prisons: Sen, U. (2018). Caste, Discrimination, and the Criminal Justice System in India. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 53(6), pp. 23-30. Ambedkar, B.R. (1936). Annihilation of Caste. New Delhi: Navayana Publishing.
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules) :United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Nelson Mandela Rules. (2015). Available at: https://www.unodc.org
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