Twenty three women prisoners are languishing in jails across the state, even after being granted bail, because they have not been able to pay the surety amount needed for their release, a study conducted by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women has revealed.
Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, said she has asked the prison department to submit a proposal to the commission to set up a corpus fund that can be used for helping such prisoners. An amount of Rs 1.5 crore can be allocated for the purpose, she said.
Rahatkar, who was in Pune to conduct an inspection of the women’s jail in Yerwada, said she was looking into issues such as overcrowding in prisons, the health facilities provided, legal help for women inmates, rehabilitation plans including skill development and the quality of food provided to prisoners, among others.
She added that new barracks were needed at the women’s jail in Yerwada and a proposal in this regard was pending with the prison department. While the jail has the capacity to accommodate 126 prisoners, currently as many as 289 women are lodged there, including a Bangladeshi and an Indonesian national. The State Commission for Women is also conducting a study on the health issues faced by women prisoners with the help of Drishti, a Pune-based NGO. “The study will be conducted for about three to four more months across all jails in the state. So far, we have found the situation to be satisfactory… telemedicine facilities are helping inmates diagnose… illnesses,” she said.
Rahatkar said the State Commission for Women has also sought permission from the state government for installing sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators in all the 31 women’s jails in the state. She pointed out that women prisoners can use the information boards and complaint boxes inside the jail premises to file complaints on whatever issue was plaguing them. A panel, formed after the death of a woman prisoner in Byculla jail last year, had recommended that such boards should be put up at all prisons.
Rahatkar said she interacted with the women inmates in Yerwada jail while there were no other jail staffers around. “Women inmates can talk to the district judge, who visits the jail regularly, or with the commission member at the time of inspection. The district judge has the key to the complaint box”, she said.