Maharashtra government joins hands with private players to push for prison reforms

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Wipro CEO Azim Premji signed the MoU recently. Express

The state government and Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives signed an MoU recently with an aim to help undertrials, especially juveniles lodged in prisons, with legal aid.

Starting with a pilot project in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, the public-private partnership scheme would be gradually extended to other cities like Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, Amravati and Latur.

The Maharashtra government and Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives Pvt Ltd have agreed to work together to design, implement, monitor and document a model programme to provide legal help to prisoners, especially undertrials. A state government source said: “More than 5,000 undertrials have been arrested for crimes, whose maximum punishment does not exceed seven years. Yet, they continue to remain in prisons. These are the cases where the undertrials could be set free on bail.”

An official said the initiative aims to help undertrials, who on merit, deserve bail, pending disposal of their cases. It would also help unburden prisons that have inmates 30 per cent more than their actual capacity. The state government data says: “Mumbai and Pune are facing the biggest challenge as prisons are overburdened.” The state government has also entered into a partnership with Tata Trusts to provide social workers in prisons.

An official said: “The District Legal Services Authority, which is entrusted with providing undertrials requiring legal support with a lawyer, is often overburdened with cases and give priority to cases in which they are paid better. Ensuring high-quality legal help for prisoners through the District Legal Services Authority is key to reducing the number of undertrials within the prison system.”