Discrimination & civil rights
Indian state prisons assigned cleaning and 'menial' work by caste, and states missed the Supreme Court's deadline to prove they had stopped.
Confidence: Corroborated · 5 sourcesIndia · Oct 6, 2026
Subject of this story
Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
Government of Chhattisgarh
Government of Uttar Pradesh
Government of West Bengal
Also named
Oversight
Supreme Court of India
Advocate
Sukanya Shantha, Journalist; petitioner in Sukanya Shantha v. Union of India
What happened
On 3 October 2024 India's Supreme Court (Sukanya Shantha v. Union of India) struck down state prison-manual provisions that divided prison labour and housing by caste, including Uttar Pradesh rule 289(g), which exempted convicts from degrading or menial duties unless they belonged to a community 'accustomed to perform such duties', and a similar West Bengal rule. It ordered the Union and states to revise their manuals within three months and opened a suo motu case to monitor compliance. The Union Home Ministry amended the model prison manual in January 2025, but at a 27 January 2025 hearing states' compliance reports had still not been filed and the Court gave 'one last opportunity'; Delhi and Chhattisgarh had still not reported in February 2025.
Sources (5)
The WeekSegregating prisoners on the basis of caste will reinforce caste discrimination.↗ Supreme Court ObserverUP Rule 289(g): a convict shall not be called upon to perform duties of a degrading or menial character unless he belongs to a class or community accustomed to perform such duties.↗ Supreme Court Observer27 January 2025: compliance reports remained unfiled; the bench granted one last opportunity.↗ JURISTCompliance reports from the states and union territories have been notably absent.↗ All India Radio NewsMinistry of Home Affairs amended the Model Prison Manual 2016 and the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act 2023 (2 January 2025).↗ Response
Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi
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Government of Chhattisgarh
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Government of Uttar Pradesh
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Government of West Bengal
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What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.