4 ‘poor’ inmates got financial aid to pay fines since Centre’s 2023 scheme launch | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Only four economically disadvantaged inmates in Odisha have received financial assistance to deposit fines since the inception of the Centre’s ‘support to poor prisoners’ scheme in 2023, official records indicate.
Introduced in May 2023 as a component of the govt’s criminal justice reforms, this initiative aims to assist indigent convicts who remain in prison solely because they cannot afford court-imposed fines or bail surety payments.
According to prison directorate records, the release of four convicts were facilitated. Gopal Danga was released from Boudh jail on Sept 27, 2024 after paying Rs 1,311 fine; SK Muna from Choudwar jail on March 4 (Rs 3,000 fine); Jayanta Samantaray and Khudiram Marandi from Baripada jail on Nov 21, 2024 (Rs 10,000 & Rs 5,000 fines, respectively).
Prison reform advocates expressed concern about such low numbers. “There may be hundreds of poor undertrial prisoners and convicts, who are forced to stay in jails due to their inability to deposit the bail surety and fine. The minimal reach of this programme is deeply concerning,” said Biswapriya Kanungo, a prisoner rights activist and senior lawyer.
Senior advocate Debasis Das emphasised that prison authorities should ensure eligible beneficiaries receive the scheme’s full benefits, noting hundreds of potential beneficiaries across the state face implementation barriers.
The scheme operates through district-level ‘empowered committees’ led by district collectors and a state-level ‘oversight committee’ headed by the home secretary. These bodies approve financial assistance after the district legal services authority (DLSA) identifies eligible inmates.
District committees can authorise fines up to Rs 25,000 for convicted prisoners’ release. Amounts exceeding this require the state oversight committee’s approval.
For undertrial prisoners, district committees can approve bail surety up to Rs 40,000, with higher amounts requiring the state oversight committee’s clearance.
Prison officials, speaking anonymously, cite strict documentation requirements and limited awareness as primary obstacles. A senior official noted that many eligible inmates struggle with proving their financial status during verification.
The prison department said they will launch a review of the implementation procedures and propose to simplify the verification process. “We are working to streamline the application procedure and increase awareness about the programme among inmates,” said a senior jail official.
Introduced in May 2023 as a component of the govt’s criminal justice reforms, this initiative aims to assist indigent convicts who remain in prison solely because they cannot afford court-imposed fines or bail surety payments.
According to prison directorate records, the release of four convicts were facilitated. Gopal Danga was released from Boudh jail on Sept 27, 2024 after paying Rs 1,311 fine; SK Muna from Choudwar jail on March 4 (Rs 3,000 fine); Jayanta Samantaray and Khudiram Marandi from Baripada jail on Nov 21, 2024 (Rs 10,000 & Rs 5,000 fines, respectively).
Prison reform advocates expressed concern about such low numbers. “There may be hundreds of poor undertrial prisoners and convicts, who are forced to stay in jails due to their inability to deposit the bail surety and fine. The minimal reach of this programme is deeply concerning,” said Biswapriya Kanungo, a prisoner rights activist and senior lawyer.
Senior advocate Debasis Das emphasised that prison authorities should ensure eligible beneficiaries receive the scheme’s full benefits, noting hundreds of potential beneficiaries across the state face implementation barriers.
The scheme operates through district-level ‘empowered committees’ led by district collectors and a state-level ‘oversight committee’ headed by the home secretary. These bodies approve financial assistance after the district legal services authority (DLSA) identifies eligible inmates.
District committees can authorise fines up to Rs 25,000 for convicted prisoners’ release. Amounts exceeding this require the state oversight committee’s approval.
For undertrial prisoners, district committees can approve bail surety up to Rs 40,000, with higher amounts requiring the state oversight committee’s clearance.
Prison officials, speaking anonymously, cite strict documentation requirements and limited awareness as primary obstacles. A senior official noted that many eligible inmates struggle with proving their financial status during verification.
The prison department said they will launch a review of the implementation procedures and propose to simplify the verification process. “We are working to streamline the application procedure and increase awareness about the programme among inmates,” said a senior jail official.
