The Supreme Court has directed all the States and Union Territories (UTs) to furnish updated details relating to jails, including the sanctioned capacity of each prison and steps taken to check overcrowding, by May 18, 2026.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also asked the States and UTs to provide details about the number of women’s prisons within their jurisdictions and the facilities available in them, including the measures taken to ensure education and overall welfare of children living with the female inmates.
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The Bench noted that senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal, who is assisting the top court as an amicus curiae in a suo motu matter concerning inhuman conditions in jails, has drawn its attention to the fact that the statistics placed on record by the States and UTs pertain to 2023.
The Bench said that, having regard to the nature of issues involved and the necessity of an informed adjudicatory exercise, the availability of updated contemporaneous data was indispensable for the effective consideration of the proceedings.
