The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Union government and eleven States on a plea alleging that prison manuals in these States encourage caste-based discrimination between prisoners [Sukanya Shantha vs Union of India].A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra acknowledged the gravity of the issue raised and called upon Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta to assist the Court in addressing it."This is a very important issue which has been raised. We request SG Mehta to assist this court. Let all the State manuals be put in a tabulated chart," the Court directed.SG Mehta also called the situation 'unacceptable' and expressed the need for joint efforts in tackling the same.
The plea before the Court was filed by journalist Sukanya Shantha who contended that caste-based discrimination persists in prison barracks and extends to manual labor assignments, affecting denotified tribes and those categorised as habitual offenders.The petition sought the repeal of discriminatory provisions found in various State prison manuals.Senior Advocate S Muralidhar, appearing for the petitioner, alleged that there have been instances where Dalits are confined to separate prisons while individuals from other castes are held in different areas.
"Such caste based discrimination is there from the time one steps into the prison," he added.Having heard brief the preliminary submissions, the Court issued notice to the Union government, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Odisha, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
TAGS: Supreme Court Notice Caste-Based Discrimination Prisons
