Staff Reporter
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the Model Prison Manual, 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023, to address the issue of caste-based discrimination of the inmates in compliance with a Supreme Court verdict.
According to the new manual, prison authorities must now strictly prohibit caste-based discrimination, classification, and segregation. The ministry replaced the existing definition of “habitual offender” to ensure that there is no discrimination.
In October last year, the Supreme Court had directed the Union Government and states to revise their prison manuals and rules to address caste-based discrimination in prisons.