Reports from human rights organizations or government agencies monitoring prison conditions

Supreme Court Condemns Caste Bias in Prison Manuals, Orders Equal Treatment of Prisoners

Oct 3, 2024, 05:36 AM

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India delivered a verdict condemning caste-based discrimination in prison manuals of various states. The court held that the practice of assigning cleaning and sweeping tasks to lower caste prisoners and cooking tasks to higher caste prisoners is discriminatory and violates substantive equality. The court stated that selecting sweepers from particular castes is entirely opposed to substantive equality and that prisoners of certain classes have the right to fair distribution of work in jails. It emphasized that caste cannot be a ground to discriminate against prisoners of marginalised classes, and all prisoners should be treated humanely and equally. The court also ruled that prisoners should not be permitted to undertake cleaning of sewers and tanks in hazardous conditions. The verdict came in response to a public interest litigation seeking prevention of caste-based discrimination and segregation in prisons.