Pune: There is a crying need for additional new prison space in Maharashtra, what with the number of inmates refusing to come down and having only increased exponentially despite the country being in lockdown for nearly a year due to the pandemic.
As per Maharashtra prison data released on July 17 this year for 2019-20, overcrowding peaked in 2019-2020 despite the release of 71,949 inmates, including 10,501 convicts and more than 61,000 undertrials. The central jails released 1,122 people on bail and 380 people on parole in 2019, which too, was a fraction of the number of people released during the Supreme Court (SC)-mandated decongestion process in 2020. The state released more than 10,000 inmates on emergency parole and temporary bail. More inmates were released this year.
Still, there are many people stuck inside jails as they are unable to fulfill the criteria mentioned in their conditional bail; either they do not have the money to pay for the bail bond or do not have a guarantor who will take responsibility. There are two private organisations working with the prison department to provide corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds in such cases. While a number of methods are in place to reduce overcrowding, the dire need for more prison space and for reduction in the number of days required to conclude court cases cannot be highlighted enough.
In case of Mumbai Central Jail, the lease for the land on which it is built is coming to an end in 2024. Besides, the jail records the highest rate of congestion with a population of nearly 3,000 and a capacity of only 800. Hence, Sunil Ramanand, additional director general of police (ADG), prison, Maharashtra, has stated the need for a new facility for the city at the earliest. A 15-acre plot owned by the Women and Child Development Department near the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Chembur, has been identified for the purpose.
{{/usCountry}}In case of Mumbai Central Jail, the lease for the land on which it is built is coming to an end in 2024. Besides, the jail records the highest rate of congestion with a population of nearly 3,000 and a capacity of only 800. Hence, Sunil Ramanand, additional director general of police (ADG), prison, Maharashtra, has stated the need for a new facility for the city at the earliest. A 15-acre plot owned by the Women and Child Development Department near the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Chembur, has been identified for the purpose.
{{/usCountry}}On July 13, ADG Ramanand had said that the chairman of the committee is the home minister.
Also, because Mumbai Central Jail has no scope for extension, the jail department has proposed five new jails in Maharashtra — Mumbai, Gondia, Hingoli, Palghar and Pune. Home minister Dilip Walse-Patil, while releasing the statistics, discussed these proposals with ADG Ramanand on Saturday.
Recently, Professor Vijay Raghavan of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was granted permission by the Bombay High Court to approach the high-powered committee (HPC) formed to provide suggestions on jail reforms. The court did so after the professor suggested strict compliance with the rules of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 with a view to decongest jails.
Inmate count in Maha jails
The overcrowded jails in the state have underlined the need for more prison space and reduction in the number of days required to conclude court cases
2015-16
Total capacity: 23,592
Total occupancy: 29,806
2016-17
Total capacity: 23,592
Total occupancy: 31,214
2017-18
Total capacity: 23,592
Total occupancy: 32,927
2018-19
Total capacity: 24,032
Total occupancy: 36,366
2019-20
Total capacity: 24,032
Total occupancy: 35,746
Central Jails
Amravati
March 2018: 1066
March 2019: 1224
March 2020: 1318
June 30, 2021: 1,096
Nagpur
2018: 2,169
2019: 2,253
2020: 2,345
June 30, 2021: 2,406
Aurangabad
2018: 1,091
2019: 1,307
2020: 1,753
June 30, 2021: 1,191
Nashik Road
2018: 3,265
2019: 3,367
2020: 2,756
June 30, 2021: 2381
Kolhapur
2018: 1,941
2019: 2,258
2020: 2,228
June 30, 2021: 2038
Yerawada
2018: 5,036
2019: 5,565
2020: 5,693
June 30, 2021: 5575
Mumbai
2018: 2,766
2019: 3,095
2020: 2,953
June 30, 2021: 2967
Thane
2018: 3,184
2019: 3,296
2020: 3,716
June 30, 2021: 3,647
Taloja
2018: 2614
2019: 3237
2020: 2,635