BENGALURU: With existing jails in Karnataka overflowing with prisoners, most of them undertrials, the state government is planning to open two more prisons with the capacity to house 1,000 inmates each. The state’s Central Jail, located at Parappana Agrahara, can house 3,226 inmates including undertrials, convicts and female prisoners. However, at present, there are 4,650 inmates and the living conditions in the jail are not good.
Recently, Karnataka High Court registered a suo motu public interest litigation to address overcrowding and shortage of staff in prisons. This was based on the directions issued by the Supreme Court in May 2018 to the High Court. The Supreme Court had directed the Chief Justice to take up the issue as a suo motu writ petition and report about it on August 2, 2018.
In Karnataka, there are more than 100 jails including Central, district, taluk sub-jails and open air jail. Most jails have between 50% to 150% additional inmates compared to their capacity — an inhumane situation for prisoners, which could be eased with the commissioning of two new facilities. N S Megharikh, Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, said that the state government had allotted funds to construct two new prisons in Karnataka which will come up at Bengaluru and Mangaluru. ‘’We need ten acres land for each prison and we have sufficient land for it. Once these prisons are opened, the burden will be reduced,’’ he said. The Department of Prisons has recruited 1,070 warders and 32 jailers to boost staff strength in state jails. At present, there are more than 2,100 staff working at various cadres.
Sources from Home Department said that the new proposed jails will be designed incorporating latest technologies. “Instead of adopting foreign models, we will go with structures that are apt for local requirements. The new jails will reduce the burden on existing jails. For instance, at the Mangaluru jail, many inmates are sent to other jails including Belagavi jail because there is no space. Even after sending inmates to different jails, the existing figure of housed inmates is double the capacity. Once we have a new jail with 1,000 inmates capacity, prisoners who were sent from Mangaluru to different places, will be shifted back. This also means, burden on other jails will be reduced,’’ sources said.
Senior Advocate M T Nanaiah said that even convicts have fundamental rights. “In most of the jails across the country, undertrials are more in number. In many jails, undertrials serve more years in jail than if they were convicted for the same offence.”
