Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar has written to T.N. Law Minister S. Regupathy urging him to take immediate steps to end caste-based discrimination in prisons in Tamil Nadu.
Referring to a news report published in The Hindu on February 29, 2024, Mr. Ravikumar, in his letter to the Minister, pointed out that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had taken serious note of discrimination of prisoners based on their caste and religion, assigning them duties accordingly.
Terming this practice unconstitutional, the MHA had written to Chief Secretaries of all State and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, urging them to ensure that their jail manuals do not contain any discriminatory provisions, he said.
Mr. Ravikumar said that a three-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud also found that prisons in more than 10 States, including Tamil Nadu, continue to have provisions sanctioning discrimination and forced labour, based on caste, in prisons.
“I wish to draw your attention to Rule No.447 of the Prison Manual of Tamil Nadu, which restricts the involvement of convicts in extramural employment if they belong to “a member of a wandering or criminal tribe,” explicitly violating Article 14 of the Constitution. Additionally, I have also learned of the practice of authorities asking for the caste of a prisoner upon entry in jail,” Mr. Ravikumar said in his letter.
Hence, the State government should take immediate steps to end caste-based discrimination in the prisons of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Ravikumar said. He also wanted to know the status of the revised prison manual and when it would be ready for implementation in the State.
