The Maharashtra Government is yet to decide on the Supreme Court’s order for states to constitute a high-level committee with a purpose to decongest overcrowded jails. The Supreme Court directed all states to reduce overcrowding in prison prisoners.
This is to avoid the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19 and to deter jails from becoming the hotspots. The apex court further said that each state shall constitute a high powered committee which will decide which class of prisoners can be released on parole or interim bail.
At least 20 jails in Maharashtra are facing overcrowding which can become a possible coronavirus hotspot, the Indian Express reported. The report stated that the Arthur Road jail in the city houses prisoners three times its capacity of 800.
The Yerwada jail in Pune has over 6,000 prisoners and Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai has over 3,000 inmates. Since March 24, nearly 4,735 prisoners - most of them undertrials who are looking at a maximum of seven years of imprisonment - were released from 37 jails across Maharashtra. This was done as per the orders of local courts in each district.
Before the lockdown, till March 24, there were nearly 36,000 prisoners housed in the prisoners across the state. However, the prison officials have informed that more steps towards decongesting prisons were required as most prisons are in ‘red zone’.
In March, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had earlier announced that almost 11,000 convicted or undertrial prisoners imprisoned for offences with prescribed punishment up to seven years or less (with or without fine) should be left on emergency parole or furlough.
Deshmukh stated that he demanded the release to reduce overcrowding in prisons and bring down the risk of the spread of coronavirus.
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