Home Ministry Amends Prison Rules to Outlaw Caste-Based Discrimination

The Union Home Ministry has amended prison manual rules to prevent caste-based discrimination and segregation of inmates.

The changes were prompted by a Supreme Court ruling on October 3, 2024, which called for steps to eliminate such practices.

The ministry has updated the 'Model Prison Manual, 2016,' and the 'Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023,' explicitly prohibiting caste-based segregation of prisoners.

A new section, 'Prohibition of Caste-Based Discrimination in Prisons and Correctional Institutions,' has been added under Section 55 of the 2023 Act.

The ministry also clarified that the provisions of 'The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013,' are binding in prisons and correctional institutions.