Supreme Court Bans Caste-Based Bias in Prison Manuals

The Supreme Court has declared certain jail manual rules fostering caste discrimination unconstitutional. It mandates all states and Union Territories to amend their Prison Manuals within three months, eliminating caste references and directing regular inspections to ensure compliance. This ruling aims to eradicate caste-based discrimination in prisons.

The Supreme Court has taken a historic step in addressing caste-based discrimination within the Indian prison system.

The court declared the impugned jail manual rules of 10 states unconstitutional, as they violated Articles 14, 15, 17, 21, and 23 of the Constitution.

All states and Union Territories now have a mandate to revise their Prison Manuals or Rules within three months, eliminating any references to caste in undertrial or convicted prisoners' records.

Moreso, the Centre is directed to update the Model Prison Manual, 2016, and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023, to reflect these crucial changes.

To ensure ongoing compliance, district legal services authorities and Board of Visitors will jointly conduct routine inspections to monitor and eliminate discriminatory practices based on caste, gender, or disability within prison facilities.

(With inputs from agencies.)