Author: Sarita Jena

In New Delhi, the Supreme Court has asked state governments to provide information on how many prison staff positions are currently empty. This is important because crowded jails can make life hard for prisoners, especially when there aren’t enough staff members to take care of them.

A group of judges talked about this issue and asked all states and union territories to report how many jail jobs are open and what steps they are taking to fill these positions. They want this information in 12 weeks.

Recent reports showed that, on average, about 30% of jail staff positions are vacant. For example, a report from 2018 showed there should be 77,216 prison staff, but there were 24,588 vacancies. By 2022, the number of vacancies grew to 27,603, even though the total number of available positions increased to 91,181.

The judges noted that when jails are crowded but have too few staff members, it can create serious problems for both convicted criminals and those awaiting trial. They urged states to quickly fill these job openings to ensure better care for prisoners.

A senior lawyer, Gaurav Agarwal, has been helping the court by gathering data about jail staff vacancies. He contacted several states like Kerala, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh for this information. So far, only Bihar has replied, saying that out of 9,349 approved positions, 4,573 are currently empty—nearly half!

Agarwal also connected with an organization called the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to understand the situation better. They found that in one jail in Nagpur, 193 out of 437 approved positions are vacant, causing issues with prison discipline and rehabilitation programs.

The judges acknowledged that while governments might struggle to fill every vacancy, it’s crucial for them to understand how many total positions there are and how many are still open across the country.

Additionally, the Supreme Court reminded states to process the release of some prisoners who qualify under a law called Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Samhita (BNSS). This law allows first-time offenders to be released after serving a third of their maximum sentence.

So far, only Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have shared information about their releases under this law. Uttar Pradesh has released about 61 prisoners, while Bihar released 28. Some states are still figuring out which of their prisoners qualify for release. In contrast, Tripura mentioned that they have no eligible undertrial prisoners.

Chandigarh, Punjab – Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher announced on Tuesday that protesting farmers will start their march to Delhi again on December 14. He explained that the government has not communicated with them, so they are moving forward. This decision was made during a meeting of farmer groups, Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

At a press conference near the Shambhu border protest site, Pandher said, “We want to prove that we are open to talks with the government.” They waited for a response, but nothing came. So, they have decided to send a group of 101 farmers to Delhi on December 14.

Last Sunday, farmers stopped their march because some were hurt when security personnel used teargas to prevent them from crossing into Haryana.

In another update, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal is on his 15th day of fasting and is becoming weaker. Abhimanyu Kohar, another leader, said Dallewal needs help walking, and doctors are watching his condition closely as he has lost over 11 kg and his health is at risk.

In support of Dallewal, farmers at the Khanauri protest did not cook any meals on Tuesday. Pandher encouraged everyone to join the protests on December 13, marking ten months of their struggle at the Shambhu and Khanauri locations.

Farmers have been at these borders since February 13 after being stopped from entering Delhi. They are asking for several things, including a legal guarantee for fair crop prices, debt relief, pensions for farmers and farm workers, no increase in electricity charges, cancelation of police cases, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. They also want the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to be reinstated and compensation for families of farmers who died during earlier protests.

In Gaya, Bihar, police captured four men accused of kidnapping a six-year-old boy named Aryan from Bardih village. Aryan disappeared on Monday while fishing near a canal. His mother, Suman Devi, realized he was missing when he didn’t come home by evening. She learned from neighbors that two men on a bike had taken him.

The police wasted no time. They quickly formed a special team, led by Officer Amit Kumar, to find Aryan. Using technology, they tracked down one of the kidnappers, Anuj Kumar, from Narayanpur village. He confessed that Aryan was taken to a place called Palamu in Jharkhand.

The police team then rushed to a new house in Bichkila Padma village, where they arrested three more suspects: Saurabh Kumar and Awadh Kumar from a nearby village, and Pintu Kumar from Gaya. They found Aryan locked in a room.

The police also recovered five mobile phones and the bikes used in the crime. They believe the kidnappers wanted to ask for ransom money after moving Aryan farther away from his home, which is 120 km from Gaya.