{"id":312669,"date":"2024-10-08T17:20:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T11:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=312669"},"modified":"2024-10-08T17:20:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T11:50:01","slug":"the-supreme-court-declares-caste-based-labor-divisions-in-prisons-unconstitutional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/the-supreme-court-declares-caste-based-labor-divisions-in-prisons-unconstitutional\/","title":{"rendered":"The Supreme Court declares caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: The post the Supreme Court declares caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional has been created, based on the article \u201cOn \u2018casteist\u2019 provisions in prison manuals<\/strong>\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu<\/strong>\u201d on 8th October is 2024<\/p>\n

UPSC Syllabus Topic:<\/strong> GS Paper 2- Governance- Prison Reforms<\/p>\n

Context<\/strong>: The article discusses the Supreme Court’s decision to declare caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional. It highlights discriminatory prison rules and urges reforms to abolish such practices that violate prisoners’ fundamental rights, ensuring equality and dignity for all.<\/p>\n

For detailed information on Supreme Court\u2019s Ruling on Caste Bias and Prison Segregation<\/strong> read this article here<\/a><\/p>\n

What Was the Issue Addressed by the Supreme Court?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. The Supreme Court addressed the issue of caste-based divisions of labor in Indian prisons, declaring such practices unconstitutional.<\/li>\n
  2. The case was initiated by a Public Interest Litigation filed by journalist Sukanya Shantha, highlighting discriminatory rules in prison manuals from states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For detailed information on Caste System in Indian Prisons: Unconstitutional But Legal<\/strong> read this article here<\/a><\/p>\n

    Why Supreme Court’s declare caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. The Supreme Court declared caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional as they violate prisoners’ fundamental rights under Articles 14, 15(1), and 17 of the Constitution.<\/li>\n
    2. The case was based on a PIL highlighting discriminatory prison manuals in states like Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.<\/li>\n
    3. In Tamil Nadu\u2019s Palayamkottai Central Jail, Thevars, Nadars, and Pallars were segregated, reflecting caste-based segregation.<\/li>\n
    4. Rajasthan’s Prison Rules, 1951, assigned latrine duties to the \u201cMehtar\u201d caste, while higher-caste prisoners were given cooking tasks.<\/li>\n
    5. The court noted that these practices reinforced colonial-era stereotypes and perpetuated untouchability, violating Article 17.<\/li>\n
    6. Caste distinctions in labor assignments deprived marginalized prisoners of dignity and equality, which the court ruled as direct discrimination.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      What Directions Were Issued by the Court?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
        \n
      1. The court directed all states and Union Territories to amend their prison manuals within three months to remove discriminatory practices.<\/li>\n
      2. It also highlighted flaws in the Union government’s Model Prison Manual of 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023.<\/li>\n
      3. Reforms were ordered to redefine the term \u201chabitual offender\u201d and ensure equality in prison work assignments.<\/li>\n
      4. Regular inspections will be carried out to ensure compliance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        How do prison manuals reinforce colonial stereotypes?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n
        1. The Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 allowed the British to label certain communities as “criminal tribes.” Even after the Act’s repeal, prison manuals continued to classify some groups as \u201chabitual offenders,\u201d even without convictions.<\/li>\n
        2. In West Bengal, Rule 404 of the Jail Code discriminated against people from \u201cwandering tribes,\u201d considering them prone to escape.<\/li>\n
        3. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala used similar definitions, perpetuating harmful stereotypes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Question for practice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Examine how prison manuals in various Indian states reinforce colonial stereotypes and discriminatory practices against certain communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Source: The post the Supreme Court declares caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional has been created, based on the article \u201cOn \u2018casteist\u2019 provisions in prison manuals\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 8th October is 2024 UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2- Governance- Prison Reforms Context: The article discusses the Supreme Court’s decision to declare caste-based… Continue reading The Supreme Court declares caste-based labor divisions in prisons unconstitutional<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230],"tags":[300,212,10498],"class_list":["post-312669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","tag-governance","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}