Thu Nov 07 12:12:25 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court Clarifies Caste Data Collection After Prison Discrimination Ruling

**New Delhi, November 7, 2024:** The Supreme Court on Thursday clarified that its recent ruling to remove caste references from prison registers will not hinder data collection by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The Court issued the clarification following a petition by senior advocate S. Muralidhar, representing the original petitioner who secured the landmark October 3 verdict.

The October 3 ruling declared unconstitutional the jail manual rules of 10 states for fostering caste-based discrimination within prisons. This included practices like segregated barracks and biased treatment of prisoners based on caste. The court ordered the deletion of the “caste” column and all caste references in undertrial and convict registers.

Muralidhar pointed out that the directive might impede NCRB’s data collection efforts. The court, acknowledging the potential impact, agreed to the need for clarification. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Ministry of Home Affairs, confirmed that the ministry had requested the clarification.

In its original ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that the right to dignity applies even to incarcerated individuals. The court directed the Centre and states to amend their prison manuals and laws within three months to eliminate caste-based discrimination. The verdict stemmed from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by journalist Sukanya Shantha, who highlighted the prevalence of caste discrimination within prisons.

The Supreme Court’s clarification ensures that the NCRB can continue its data collection efforts while upholding the fundamental right to equality and dignity for all prisoners, regardless of their caste.

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