Pune: Ten undertrial prisoners, who were languishing in jails for failing to pay fine or secure bail due to financial constraints, were released in Maharashtra's Pune district.
The inmates were released under a centrally-funded scheme for supporting poor prisoners. Efforts are underway to release 45 more prisoners by securing funds for their bail under this scheme, Sonal Patil, secretary, District Legal Services Authority said.
Correctional homes across the state are overcrowded and they lodge inmates more than their capacity. For instance, Yerawada Central Jail gas a capacity of 3,000 inmates but 7,000 prisoners are lodged here. Same is the situation in other jails.
Many inmates are forced to spend their lives in jail for years because they are unable to pay the fine or bail amount due to financial constraints. The Centre has now come up with a scheme to bail out such prisoners.
A district-level committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the District Collector for the implementation of the scheme in Maharashtra. The committee includes the District Legal Services Authority, police, prison administration and the judiciary. In Pune district, 10 prisoners have been released after paying their bail amount.
Patil said that there are many instances where even after being granted bail, the prisoner is forced to stay back as he/she is unable to pay the bail amount due to financial problems. "The scheme announced in October 2023 aims at decongesting prisons by paying the bail amount," she said.
Patil said that if a prisoner is not released within seven days after bail is granted, the jail administration informs the District Legal Services Authority and the committee. Then the prisoner is helped through the committee, she said.
"People serving sentence for rape, murder, molestation, financial fraud, drug trafficking, bribery, anti-national activities, Naxalite activities and serious crimes are not eligible to get the benefit of the scheme. It has to be ensured whether the prisoner concerned is really financially insecure. A financially capable prisoner cannot be given the benefit of the scheme. Prisoners who have been granted bail and the bail amount is less than Rs 40,000 are helped under this scheme. Efforts are underway to release 45 prisoners by paying their bail amounts. A thorough investigation of the financial condition of these prisoners is being conducted by the District Legal Services Authority," Patil said.
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