Virtual hugs and repairing family bonds, e-Mulakat brings ease of visitation across state prisons

The e-Mulakat platform is part of e-prisons system under the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) launched by the Union government in 2022 at a total cost of Rs 3,375. The ICJS comprises a dedicated and secure cloud-based infrastructure operated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and National Informatics Centre (NIC). ICJS has five pillars including e-Prisons and Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems for police, e-Forensics for Forensic Labs, e-Courts for Courts, e-Prosecution for Public Prosecutors. Under Phase-II of ICJS ‘one data one entry’ method is being introduced whereby data is entered only once in one pillar and the same is then made available in all other pillars.

Under e-Mulakat, a mechanism is also available where family members or lawyers can book an appointment for an in person visitation. Of the total 1,38,672 visitations since January this year, 4,529, which is around three per cent, have been booked in this manner. A 25-year-old woman from the neighbouring district of Pune has been using the system to book an appointment to meet her brother serving life sentence ensuring that she does not have to wait for long for her turn at the visitation facility. To avail both e-Mulakat and visitation booking facility, the family members and lawyers have to register using the form on the National Prisons Information Portal.

Across the prisons of Maharashtra, in-person visitations happen with visitors seated on the other side of fortified glass and talking to inmates over an intercom under supervision of the staff. As per the prison manual, only the immediate kin, friend and lawyers, whose names have been listed by the inmate, are allowed to visit him or her. These rules are applicable to e-Mulakat meetings which also happen under supervision of the prison staffers.

The state prison department started implementing e-Mulakat across prisons in Maharashtra in July last year and completed its implementation by December in all 60 prisons. As per the latest available numbers, Maharashtra has a prison inmate population of 40,485 which includes 80 per cent undertrials, 19 per cent convicts and one percent under preventive detention. As per the orders issued by prison department head, Additional Director General Amitabh Gupta, e-Mulakat online visitation by families and lawyer can be availed by undertrials four times a month and convicts twice, under the stipulated rules applicable to each of the inmates.

Officials said the system has been of great help for foreign nationals incarcerated in state prisons, who have been able to connect with their families through video conferencing. Currently there are 600 foreign nationals in Maharashtra prisons. The e-Mulakat has been made available for foreign national inmates other than those from Pakistan and those incarcerated in cases of terror or those related to national security.

Dr Jalindar Supekar, Special Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), said that efforts are underway to see that the e-Mulakat system is used by increasing number of inmates in the coming days.