Only 144 availed funds allotted for poor prisoners in two yrs, Maharashtra tops list, says MHA

The Print

7 days ago

According to the home ministry data, in the scheme's first year, fiscal 2023-24, only three states (Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand) utilised the funds and 17 prisoners were provided assistance.
The scheme was launched in 2023, providing cash bail of up to Rs 40,000 and penalty payment of up to Rs 25,000 per prisoner to reduce the overcrowding of prisons and help the needy.
New Delhi: Two years after the Union home ministry launched the 'Support to Poor Prisoners' scheme, only 144 prisoners have been provided assistance under it. The maximum beneficiaries are from Maharashtra, followed by Madhya Pradesh, according to data presented Tuesday in the Lok Sabha.
In fiscal 2024-25, Maharashtra provided assistance to 33 prisoners, while Madhya Pradesh did for 25 prisoners. The next is Uttarakhand which aided 11 prisoners. Sikkim provided assistance to only one prisoner. In the ongoing fiscal so far, Maharashtra has provided assistance to 23 prisoners till July, while four other states have also used the scheme. Data for all states was not presented in the list.
Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, in his response in the Lok Sabha, said guidelines for implementation of the scheme were shared with all states and union territories on 19 June, 2023, and an annual financial outlay of Rs 20 crore provided for fiscals 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was designated as the central nodal agency for implementation of the scheme.
According to the ministry data, Rs 28.67 lakh have so far been utilised by the states under the scheme. Maharashtra secured up to Rs 5.27 lakh and Rs 3.84 lakh in the previous fiscal and the ongoing one, respectively.
Administration and management of prisons and prisoners is the responsibility of state governments/UT administrations. The ministry claims that it has reviewed the progress of the scheme regularly and provided the required guidance to states/UTs. It has also directed them to raise awareness about the scheme and ensure that meetings of 'empowered committees' are held to maximise coverage under it.
Based on the home ministry guidelines, the committee assesses the requirement of financial support in each case for securing bail or for payment of fine, etc. and, based on its decision, the district collector or district magistrate draws money from the designated account under the scheme.
Also, if an undertrial is not released from jail within seven days of order of grant of bail, then the jail authority has to inform the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority. The authority would then inquire into the financial condition of the prisoner with the help of district social workers, NGOs, district probation officer and revenue officer.
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Problem of overcrowding
According to the National Prison Portal, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of prisoners at 92,166, followed by Bihar with 53,274, and Madhya Pradesh with 46,107. Maharashtra has around 40,495 prisoners. In Delhi, there are 16 prisons with around 19,500 prisoners against the sanctioned capacity of 10,026.
'There has been a steady increase in prisoner population over the last few years,' an official from Delhi's Tihar Jail told ThePrint.
Amit Dwivedi, a criminal lawyer in Delhi, too asserted that 'overcrowding has become a serious issue in Delhi jails'. The courts take time in granting bail to first-time offenders, and usually, for petty crimes, it is expensive, and costs around Rs 20,000, he added.
According to Arvind Rambachan Singh, a criminal lawyer practising in the Bombay High Court, most prisoners are in for petty crimes, are from underprivileged backgrounds and find it difficult to furnish a bail amount of Rs 5,000-10,000. 'In such cases, bail should be provided to prisoners on a personal bond,' he told ThePrint.
Harshita Mishra, a legal professional, who has worked with legal service institutions, said: 'Many matters are taken up by the UTRC (Under Trial Review Committee) and an application is moved on behalf of undertrials unable to furnish bail bonds.'
She said that DLSAs don't have regular meetings with the authorities concerned for recommending names under the aid scheme, and that National Legal Services Authority has taken up this matter and steps are under way to ensure regular meetings.
'Many undertrials are vagabonds with no ascertainable address. This is also acting as an impediment,' she explained.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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