In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “Poor inmates in jails are unable to pay fines or bail.
The government will provide necessary financial support to help them,” he said. In his speech at the Constitution Day celebrations on November 26, President Draupadi Murmu suggested de-crowding in jails and helping poor prisoners languishing there. Highlighting the plight of the poor in jails, he questioned the need for setting up more jails. A few days after his speech, the Supreme Court ordered a national program for the release of such prisoners.
It also directed the prison authorities to submit the details of such prisoners to the National Legal Services Commission within 15 days. About 5,000 remand prisoners are languishing in jail without bail despite being granted bail, the Legal Services Commission said.
