Supreme Court orders end to caste-based discrimination in prisons, directs states to amend jail manuals

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued a landmark judgment, ordering an end to caste-based discrimination in prisons, including practices like forcing certain inmates to clean toilets or sweep based on their caste. The Court declared the jail manuals of 12 states unconstitutional for perpetuating such discrimination. All states are now required to amend their jail manuals, along with the Centre’s Model Jail Manual 2016, within three months.

This crucial ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, following a petition filed by Sukanya Shanta, Senior Assistant Editor at ‘The Wire’ news portal.

The Supreme Court emphasized that caste-based discrimination is a violation of fundamental rights and will not be tolerated in prisons. The provisions in the prison manuals of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh must be amended in line with this directive.

Additionally, the Court highlighted the need to revise the definition of “habitual offenders” in Kerala’s prison manual, ensuring they are not isolated or discriminated against from other inmates.