SC asks Rajasthan govt not to alter Jaipur’s open prison plan
The court directed the state to abide by recommendations of an inspection report by a court commissioner which proposed enhancing the area available to the inmates
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Rajasthan government not to alter any further the layout plan of an open-air prison in Jaipur and outlined its purpose to bring inmates to society’s mainstream.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and justice Augustine George Masih ensured that the facilities available to the inmates of Sanganer’s Open Correctional home was not impacted by the proposed construction of a 300-bed hospital.
The court directed the state to abide by recommendations of an inspection report by a court commissioner which proposed enhancing the area available to the inmates with better housing and recreational facilities.
“The main purpose is to bring them (inmates) into the mainstream of society. We direct the state government to file an undertaking that the layout plan as prepared and approved by …will not be altered any further,” the bench ordered.
Opened in 1963, the Sanganer open jail or the Sampuranand Khula Bandi Shivir is the oldest and largest open camp in India and often considered the country’s best showcase of reformative justice. Unlike traditional prisons, the open jail emphasises rehabilitation by allowing inmates to live with their families in self-constructed homes.
Inmates are responsible for their own expenses, including utilities, and are encouraged to work outside the prison in various occupations such as mechanics, tailors, and shopkeepers. The facility operates with minimal security, relying on a self-governance system called the Bandi Panchayat, where inmates manage daily roll calls and internal affairs. It houses around 400 prisoners.
The dispute began in 2024 after the Jaipur city authorities allotted a chunk of land belonging to the prison for the construction of a satellite hospital.
The court allowed the hospital construction to go on but directed the state to abide by the layout plan provided in the report of the court commissioner, who said both the existing area (17,800 sq. m.) and an additional area (14,940 sq. m.) should be used in full for constructing new jail structures, and that the remaining land (22,232 sq. m.) may be used for the proposed hospital.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta appeared for the state, along with additional advocate general Shiv Mangal Sharma, and assured the court that the entire report of the commissioner along with suggestions will be abided by the state. The state further submitted that till the additional facilities are created, the existing facilities will not be demolished.
The bench said that the open area in the premises of open prison cannot be used by the patients and their relatives who would be visiting the proposed hospital after it is constructed and made functional. “We further direct that the open recreational space can be used by the inmates and their children only,” the top court said.
