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The Allahabad High Court has directed Uttar Pradesh’s Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services to submit a comprehensive affidavit within one month, addressing the growing overcrowding in the state’s correctional facilities.
A division bench comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Swaroopama Chaturvedi passed the order while considering a public interest litigation titled In Re: Overcrowding in Prisons.
The bench reviewed an affidavit filed by Naini Central Jail’s Senior Superintendent on May 23, 2026.
The document stated that Uttar Pradesh’s prisons have a combined capacity of 76,162 inmates but currently accommodate 80,326 undertrial prisoners and convicts.
The judges observed that measures such as granting premature release and freeing inmates after payment of fines might help reduce congestion temporarily.
The bench stressed that these steps cannot resolve the underlying problem and called for expanding the state’s prison infrastructure.
The court pointed out that the submitted document lacked separate figures for undertrial prisoners and convicted inmates. It further failed to classify prisoners according to their age and gender.
Although the affidavit mentioned plans to construct six additional prisons, it provided no information about their locations or construction progress.
The authorities omitted details about increasing the number of prison barracks.
The High Court has directed the DG Prisons to provide updated occupancy figures and details of corrective measures, preferably through a tabular presentation.
The bench will hear the matter next on December 1, 2026.
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