According to the Prison Statistics India Report 2022, there was 5.73 Lakh Prisoners House in 1,330 prisons in the country as of December 31, 2022. Around 77% of thatm was and the prison obcopticy Averaged Around 131%-Thought in Hundreds of Prisons, The Occupance Varies Between 150-200%. The India Justice Report 2022 Highlights that Prison Staff Vacancies Stand at ~ 30% and Medical Staff Vacancies at ~ 40%, which has a Cascading EFFECT on Prison Conditions and StRESS LEVELSS LEVELSS LEVELSS LEVELSS That the prisons. Over the Years, The Courts have been directed the Executive to Ensure the Well-Being of Prisonsoners, Conduct Inspections, and Hold Prison Adminies to Account.
In 2015, The Bombay High Court (HC) Admitted a Pil Filed by Jan Adalat, Center for Paralegal Services and Legal Aid on the issue of mulakat (Meeting) Facilites for Lawyers and Prison Conditions. The Bench Headed by Justice Abhay Oka, Passed Several Directions Including A Direction to Set Up a Committee Headed by a Retired High Court Judge, To Recommend Measures to IPROVE PrON CONDITIONS in in Maharashtra.
In March 2017, a committee headed by justice s radhakrishnan, a retired judge of the bombay hc, was set up. I was appointed as a member, which allowed me to spend some time with justice Radhakrishnan. With his passing earlier this year, I am reminded of the man who committed Himself Completely to this important work. His sensority showed right from the start. The Committee Held Its First Meeting on July 10, 2017, and over a period of one year, it help 16 meetings and visited eight prisons across the state. What Struck Me About Radhakrishnan was his sharp understanding of Issues, his keenness to learn, his utter humility, and the respect with he interacted with Everyone. He Chaired Several Meetings with Government Officials and Ngos to Discuss Infrastructure Gaps, Legal Aid and Bail, Parole and Furlough and Furlough, Furlough, Health Including Mental HEALTH, Education and Skill Development, Library Facilites, and Rehabilitation of Released Prisoners. He was deeply passionate about the plight of undertrial and convicated prisoners, especially the former. Intead of Sitting in an Air-Conditioned Office and Calling Prison Officials And Other Stakeholders Over to Discuss Issues, In the first meeting, He made it clear that he INDED to Visit Prisons and Get A Fir-Hand Experience of the situation of prisoners and prison staff.
Born in Chennai in 1946, radhakrishnan started his practice in the bombay hc and specialized in constitutional matters and press laws. He was made a permanent judge in 1998. I think it was this Deep Realization that the law is as good as its implementation
He was keen on improvement the plight of undertrials longuishing for want of commentant legal aid and inability to post bail. Under His Guidance, The Committee Organized Two Seminars for Law College Students, to Motivate Them to Render Voluntary Legal Aid to Prisoners. DURAN PRISON VISITS, he would interact with the incarcted to understand their issues. He would check the condition of the barracks, toilets and bathing areas, kitchens, vocational training units, and prison industry. He even sought meetings with the prison staff in the absence of Senior Officials to Understand their issues.
The committee submitted its final report on June 30, 2018. in my view, the radhakrishnan commissione report is one of the most comprehensive, YET GRONDEDDED, Reform Reports that I am unrere of. This is primarily due to the serialness that justice radhakrishnan brough to the entry exercise. Who many many of the recommendations made by the committee are yet the light of day, the committee successed in improving prison conditions to the extra positive. He made a strong plea to fill vacancies and got the state’s home ministry to understand the importance of this. He Backed My Suggestion to Appoint Social Workers in Prisons to Fulfill their rehabilitation objective.
Over the year, we kept in touch and he was very keen to know if any of our major recommendations had seen the light of day. In 2023, I Wrote a Letter to then State Home Minister and Current CM, Devendra Fadnavis, Requesting the government to consider implementing the major recommendations, and a Few Months Later, In Februry 2024, Letter to the additional chief secretary of the home department, asking the department to look into the same, marking a copy to justice to justice radhakrishnan and me. Upon receiving the letter, radhakrishnan called me, sounding delighted that perhaps the report’s recommendation would finally be implemented. I am told that the songs-to-bee-Released Revised Maharashtra Prison Manual has incorporated many of these. If that is the case, it would be a perfect tribute to radhakrishnan and his passion for prisoners’ rights.
Vijay Raghavan is Professor, Center for Criminology and Justice, School of Social Work, Tiss, and Leads Prayas, A Field Action Project of Tisss, Working on Prisonsors’ Rights and Rehability. The views expressed are personal
