Mon Nov 11 19:38:00 UTC 2024: ## Supreme Court Strikes Down Caste-Based Segregation in Indian Prisons
**New Delhi, November 12, 2024** – The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark ruling against caste discrimination in prisons, striking down rules that segregated prisoners based on their caste. The court’s decision in **Sukanya Shantha v. Union of India (2024)** reaffirms the principle of non-discrimination enshrined in the Indian Constitution, stating that such segregation violates the fundamental rights of prisoners.
The court’s decision follows a long line of judgments against discriminatory prison practices. In previous cases, the courts have struck down rules that classified prisoners based on socioeconomic status or limited their right to write letters.
The **Sukanya Shantha** case specifically addressed the practice of assigning cleaning and sweeping jobs exclusively to prisoners from certain “marginalised castes,” while other prisoners were assigned jobs like cooking. This practice, rooted in caste hierarchy and perpetuated by state prison rules, was deemed discriminatory and ineffective in aiding prisoner reformation.
The court emphasized that the prison environment cannot strip prisoners of their fundamental rights, including the right to non-discrimination.
In a similar vein, the Calcutta High Court in **Gaur Narayan Chakraborty and Others** (2012) ruled that “believers of any kind of political movement” should be recognized as political prisoners, regardless of their involvement in unlawful activities. This ruling highlights the importance of treating all prisoners with dignity and providing them with basic amenities, a sentiment echoed in subsequent editorial commentaries.
This recent ruling underscores the need for a comprehensive overhaul of prison rules and practices in India. The court’s directive to state governments to amend prison rules to eliminate caste-based discrimination is a crucial step towards ensuring equality and dignity for all prisoners.
**R.K. Vij**, a former Indian Police Service officer, and **Shivani Vij**, a lawyer practicing in Delhi, advocate for further reform, urging the adoption of a standardized Model Prison Manual that ensures a minimum dignified life for all inmates, regardless of their background or charges.
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