Tue Apr 08 14:38:46 UTC 2025: **National Human Rights Commission Acts on Prison Conditions in India**
**New Delhi, April 8, 2025** – The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to all state and union territory Chief Secretaries demanding immediate action to improve conditions in India’s overcrowded prisons. The move follows reports from NHRC Special Monitors and Rapporteurs detailing widespread human rights violations within correctional facilities.
The NHRC’s concern stems from a significant disparity between prison capacity (436,266) and the actual number of inmates (573,220) as of 2022, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The commission highlights serious deficiencies in basic amenities, healthcare, and hygiene, particularly affecting women prisoners and their children.
Reports indicate widespread violations of the rights to dignity and safety for women inmates, including increased violence, unsanitary conditions, lack of access to essential hygiene products, inadequate food leading to malnutrition (especially among pregnant women and nursing mothers), and limited educational opportunities for children living in prison with their mothers. Furthermore, the non-implementation of welfare programs, such as legal aid and vocational training, is a major concern.
States have been given four weeks to submit detailed reports including the number of women prisoners and their children, and a breakdown of undertrials (male and female) held for over a year. The NHRC’s action underscores the urgent need for prison reform in India to address the critical issues of overcrowding and human rights violations.
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