Yogi moots new Prison Act, sweeping jail reforms in UP

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, June 15

Close on the heels of the Centre drafting the Model Prison Act 2023 to replace the colonial era Prisons Act of 1894, BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh on Thursday announced sweeping jail reforms through enactment of a new Prisons Law along the lines of what the Union Home Ministry drafted in May this year.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed top-level state officials to draft the new Prisons Act for the state, which has the highest current jail capacity in India.

From drones to monitor prisoners and establishment of high-security barracks for terror convicts and habitual offenders to legal aid for inmates seeking parole/furlough and separate living for women and transgenders, Yogi ordered UP officials to transform state prisons into “reformation houses”.

“We have to set up prisons as ‘Reformation Homes’. Arrangements like security assessment of prisoners, grievance redressal, Prison Development Board, change in behaviour towards prisoners and provision of separate accommodation for women prisoners and transgender should be implemented as part of the new Prison Act,” the CM told a high-level review meeting of state’s prisons.

He said more than 4,200 CCTV cameras were currently installed in state’s jails and were monitored through video walls installed in the headquarters.

“Monitoring of prisoners should be done by integrating drone cameras with the video wall. This should be kept in mind while preparing the new act,” the CM instructed, adding that the new law should ensure prisoners get the benefit of legal aid at the time of filing for parole, furlough and premature release.

He ordered high-security barracks to be prepared for hardened criminals who posed a threat to the country and society like habitual offenders and terrorists.

“High standards should be followed for the monitoring of grave offenders. The new law should also provide for stringent punishment for the use of banned items like mobile phones in prisons,” the CM said.

The MHA had come out with a comprehensive Model Prisons Act after a spate of killings and gang wars in various jails, especially the murder of Tillu Tajpuria, by rival gang members in Tihar jail. The Model Act of MHA also followed NIA requests to the Centre to shift several dreaded gangsters incarcerated in jails of north India to jails in south India.

As of 2021, prison capacity in India was 4,25,609. Number of prisoners lodged in various jails, however, was 5,54,034.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of prisoners (1,17,789) in its jails contributing 21.3% of India’s prison population followed by Bihar (66,879), Madhya Pradesh (48,513), Maharashtra (36,853), Punjab (26,146) and West Bengal (25,769).