Union home ministry asks prisons to screen foreign inmates, use videoconferencing for kin

NEW DELHI: Faced with overcrowded jails amid the Covid-19 outbreak, the Union home ministry has asked prison authorities in states and Union Territories to screen foreign inmates and their visitors, and encourage meetings of prisoners with visitors through videoconferencing.

More than 466,084 persons are lodged in 1,318 prisons across India, according to the 2018 report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The occupancy rate increased to 117.6% in 2018 from 113.7% a year earlier.While advocating social distancing inside prisons, the ministry said “due care may be taken in handling prisoners including foreign nationals and visitors to prisons”. “States and UTs are requested to engage with health departments for arranging screening devices and kits to be used in prison for screening inmates and their visitors. You are also requested to encourage meeting of prisoners with their visitors through videoconferencing facility available as e-Mulakat, to avoid physical contacts,” the ministry said in its directive.

Earlier, the ministry had urged states and UTs to use the facility of videoconferencing for appearance of prisoners before magistrates. As per the 2018 NCRB report, West Bengal had the highest number of foreign nationals in its jails – 2,316 out of a total of 4,720. The state government had also released the highest number of prisoners, more than 35,000 undertrials and convicts, on interim bail and parole in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons.


In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, prisoners across the country were released after the Supreme Court on March 23 directed all states and UTs to submit written replies on steps being taken to prevent the spread of the pandemic among prisoners and juveniles. The apex court suggested that prisoners convicted of, or charged with, offences involving jail terms of seven years or less be considered for parole or interim bail. Delhi’s Tihar Jail released more than 3,000 prisoners while Uttar Pradesh granted relief to more than 11,000 prisoners, according to officials.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the home ministry asked agencies to maintain vigil on social media against circulation of any objectionable content.