Supreme Court to Rule on Alleged Caste Bias in State Prison Manuals

The Supreme Court will announce its decision on a plea challenging caste-based discrimination in state prison manuals. The petition argues that several state prison guidelines enforce segregation and discriminatory practices. The court previously sought responses from the Centre and 11 states on this issue.

The Supreme Court is poised to deliver its verdict on a plea alleging that prison manuals from various states endorse caste-based discrimination. The judgement will be announced by a bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

In January, the apex court sought responses from the Centre and 11 states, including Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, on the allegations presented in the petition. The petitioner's counsel argued that the state prison manuals discriminated against inmates based on caste, affecting their assigned work and living conditions inside the prisons.

Specifically, the plea highlighted the Kerala Prison Rules and the West Bengal Jail Code, which allegedly prescribe work duties based on caste. The court has involved the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for further assistance and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to help address the issues raised in the plea filed by Sukanya Shantha.