Centre revises guidelines to help poor prisoners unable to pay fines, arrange sureties
GS2Polity · Governance · IR· Vulnerable sections (SC/ST, minorities, disabled, elderly, children)· Prelims + Mains·
Why in news
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) revised the 'Support to Poor Prisoners' scheme guidelines to address inadequate implementation by states and Union Territories.
Background
The Centre allocated ₹20 crore to assist indigent prisoners unable to pay fines or bail sureties. The revised framework mandates a district-level Empowered Committee and senior official involvement to scrutinize eligible cases.
Facts for Prelims
- SchemeSupport to Poor Prisoners: A scheme by the Ministry of Home Affairs to assist indigent prisoners with fines and sureties
- FactThe Centre allocated ₹20 crore for the Support to Poor Prisoners scheme
- BodyDistrict-level Empowered Committee: Body mandated to scrutinize eligible cases under the revised guidelines
- FactThe scheme excludes individuals accused of terrorism, rape, and human trafficking
For Mains
Q. Discuss how the 'Support to Poor Prisoners' scheme addresses the issue of judicial incarceration of the poor and suggest measures to ensure its effective implementation.
Dimensions to cover in your answer
- Institutional bottleneck: Inconsistent state-level implementation and lack of standardized scrutiny mechanisms
- Legal-ethical trade-off: Balancing the right to bail for indigent prisoners against the exclusion of heinous crime offenders
Keywords: judicial incarceration · indigent prisoners · procedural justice · prison overcrowding · social justice
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This note is generated automatically from SatyaDheesh's news feed and mapped to the UPSC CSE syllabus. Check facts against the original report or PIB before using them in an answer.