Thousands of undertrial prisoners languishing in Maharashtra’s jails may soon be released on bail, with the state government considering a prison reform based on guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). According to latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports, more than 19,000 of the 27,400 inmates in the state are undertrials, which means about seven in 10 inmates are yet to be convicted. Official sources confirmed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, has convened a high-level meeting later this week to flag off the reform. The chief minister’s officer decided to push for the reform after it was pointed out that some smaller states such as Goa have already implemented the NHRC guidelines. Sources said the reform would be applicable to undertrials who have spent a considerable period in jail, as against the offences for which they were arrested. But it was clarified that those charged with serious offences and heinous crimes won’t be covered. To decongest the jails, the government is also considering a move to set up a board that would examine the feasibility of commuting or reviewing sentence of convicted prisoners. A total 27,400 prisoners are lodged in the state’s jails, which have a capacity to accommodate 24,544, according to the NCRB data. The Supreme Court too had earlier issued directives for decongesting jails in the country. The state also has plans to formulate uniform guidelines for release of prisoners on furlough. Arguing that most of the undertrials came from the poorer and underprivileged sections of society, the NHRC had pushed for discharge of undertrials booked for traffic offences. It had also recommended immediate discharge for those accused under offences punishable for a year if the trial had not commenced a year after registration of the offences. Besides these, the NHRC has further sought bail release of undertrials for offences punishable for three, five, and seven years, in cases where they have been languishing in jails for six months and a year respectively, with their trials pending for over a year. In Maharashtra, at least 566 undertrial prisoners were lodged beyond three years at the end of 2013, the NCRB report states.
