Lok Sabha Question No. 1601 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-07
Subject: Decongestion of Jails
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Pradyut Bordoloi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1601

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 07 TH  DECEMBER, 2021/ AGRAHAYANA 16, 1943 (SAKA) DECONGESTION OF JAILS

1601. SHRI PRADYUT BORDOLOI:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether the Government has taken any efforts to decongest jails in light of the  COVID-pandemic,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  caste,  religion  and State-wise;
- (b)  the  details  of  the  number  of  under-trials  still  imprisoned  as  of  1  November, 2021;
- (c)  details of vaccination status of inmates in Indian prisons as of 1 November, 2021, State-wise;
- (d) details of COVID-positive cases in Indian prisons as of November, 2021, Statewise; and
- (e)  details of prison inmate deaths in 2019-2020 and 2020-21, and proportion of deaths registered as COVID deaths, State-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a) & (b): 'Prisons'/'persons  detained  therein'  is  a  'State-List'  subject  under

Entry  4 of List II  of  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India. Administration and management of prisons and inmates is the responsibility of respective State Governments.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles prison statistics reported to it by the States  and  Union Territories (UTs) and  publishes the same in  its  annual

## LS.US.Q.NO.1601 FOR 07.12.2021

publication  'Prison  Statistics  India'.  The  latest  published  report  is  of  the  year 2019. As on 31.12.2019, there were 3,30,487 undertrial prisoners in various jails of the country.

To  address  the  issue  of  Covid-19  pandemic  in  Prisons,  the  Ministry  of  Home Affairs  (MHA)  had  issued  advisories  to  all  States  and  UTs  on  12.03.2020  and 02.05.2020, advising them  to take appropriate precautions and steps for preventing the spread of Covid-19 in prisons. Detailed guidelines and protocols to be  followed  in  prisons  were  also  shared  with  all  the  States  and  UTs.  Hon ' ble Supreme Court of India had also issued directions to all the States and UTs in March 2020 and again in May 2021 for constituting High Powered Committees, which may determine the class of prisoners who may be released on parole or interim bail in view of the Covid-19 pandemic  with  a  view to reducing overcrowding in prisons.

(c) & (d): The  specific  data  has  not  been  reported  to  National  Crime  Records Bureau by the States and UTs.

(e): State/UT-wise details of deaths of inmates in prisons during the year 2019 are given in Annexure. Specific data relating to Covid-19 is not available.

*****

Annexure referred in reply to Lok Sabha USQ No. 1601 for 7.12.2021 State/UT-wise Deaths of inmates in Prisons during the year 2019

| Sl. No.   | State/UT          |   Total Deaths |
|-----------|-------------------|----------------|
| 1         | ANDHRA PRADESH    |             25 |
| 2         | ARUNACHAL PRADESH |              0 |
| 3         | ASSAM             |             25 |
| 4         | BIHAR             |            110 |
| 5         | CHHATTISGARH      |             52 |
| 6         | GOA               |              3 |
| 7         | GUJARAT           |             52 |
| 8         | HARYANA           |             77 |
| 9         | HIMACHAL PRADESH  |              4 |
| 10        | JAMMU & KASHMIR   |              5 |
| 11        | JHARKHAND         |             53 |
| 12        | KARNATAKA         |             65 |
| 13        | KERALA            |             33 |
| 14        | MADHYA PRADESH    |            162 |
| 15        | MAHARASHTRA       |            132 |
| 16        | MANIPUR           |              0 |
| 17        | MEGHALAYA         |              6 |
| 18        | MIZORAM           |              1 |
| 19        | NAGALAND          |              4 |
| 20        | ODISHA            |             53 |
| 21        | PUNJAB            |            137 |
| 22        | RAJASTHAN         |             82 |
| 23        | SIKKIM            |              2 |
| 24        | TAMIL NADU        |             58 |
| 25        | TELANGANA         |             22 |
| 26        | TRIPURA           |              3 |
| 27        | UTTAR PRADESH     |            422 |
| 28        | UTTARAKHAND       |             20 |
| 29        | WEST BENGAL#      |            120 |
| 30        | A & N ISLANDS     |              0 |
| 31        | CHANDIGARH        |              1 |
| 32        | D & N HAVELI      |              0 |
| 33        | DAMAN & DIU       |              0 |
| 34        | DELHI             |             46 |
| 35        | LAKSHADWEEP       |              0 |
| 36        | PUDUCHERRY        |              0 |
|           | TOTAL             |           1775 |

# Due to non-receipt of data from West Bengal for the year 2018 & 2019, data furnished for 2017 has been used.