Supreme Court Strikes Down Caste-Based Segregation in Prisons, Orders Immediate Reforms
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of India struck down caste-based discriminatory provisions embedded in the prison manuals of 11 states, calling the segregation and assignment of prison work based on caste unconstitutional. A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, emphasized that the state has a “positive obligation” to prevent discrimination within prison systems, ensuring the protection of prisoners’ dignity and equality. The court directed states to amend their prison manuals within three months to comply with the judgment.
The ruling was the culmination of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging provisions in various state prison manuals that segregated prisoners by caste and assigned labor, such as sweeping or cooking, based on caste identity. The court condemned the practice as a relic of colonial-era laws that perpetuate caste hierarchy and discrimination. The Chief Justice remarked that caste-based segregation and labor assignments are clear violations of Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination) of the Indian Constitution.
In a significant directive, the court also took suo motu cognizance of caste-based discrimination in prisons and ordered the registry to list a case titled “In re: Discrimination Inside Prisons” after three months to monitor compliance. The judgment underscores that no group of prisoners can be forced into “inhumane or degrading” labor based on their caste, reaffirming that all prisoners, regardless of caste, should have access to fair and equal treatment in prison labor distribution.
Chief Justice Chandrachud stated that the judgment is part of the ongoing fight against systemic discrimination and emphasized the state’s duty to ensure that prison systems do not perpetuate colonial-era biases. He criticized provisions in state laws that assign menial work like sweeping or cleaning to marginalized castes and reserved cooking tasks for higher castes. Such practices, the court held, violate substantive equality and perpetuate “untouchability,” a social evil that is explicitly forbidden by the Constitution.
The judgment also addressed the broader implications of caste-based labor in prisons, citing the Uttar Pradesh law that permits prisoners undergoing simple imprisonment to avoid menial labor unless their caste traditionally performed such jobs. The court denounced this as institutionalized discrimination, arguing that no individual or group should be born into a “scavenger class.”
Additionally, the bench ruled that prisoners should not be forced to perform hazardous work, such as sewer cleaning, and mandated that prisons must ensure fair distribution of labor. The decision marks a critical shift in addressing caste-based injustices within the prison system and extends the constitutional protection of marginalized groups, such as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), into the realm of prison reform.
This landmark judgment holds the state accountable for caste-based discrimination and asserts that rehabilitation, rather than segregation, should be the primary goal of prison systems. It ensures that prisoners, regardless of their caste, receive humane and dignified treatment under the law. States have been ordered to submit compliance reports detailing their amendments to prison manuals within three months.
