Chandigarh Sets Up Panels for Poor Prisoner Relief | 04 Apr 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the Chandigarh administrator has constituted two committees for the implementation of a scheme to provide relief to poor prisoners who cannot be released from jail due to financial constraints like non-payment of fines or bail amount.

Key Points

  • The Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme has been finalised by the Union ministry of home affairs and for its implementation.
  • Administration has constituted:
    • One “Empowered Committee” to be headed by the district collector (DC) and district magistrate (DM), and its members will be the secretary, district legal services authority, superintendent of police (SP) and chief judicial magistrate.
    • Oversight committee will have a legal remembrancer-cum-director of prosecution, and secretary (Home/Jail), state legal services authority, and registrar general, Punjab and Haryana high court as its members; and the Chandigarh inspector general of prisons will be the member convener of the committee.
  • The committee will assess the requirement of financial support in each case for securing bail or for payment of fine, etc, and based on the decision taken, the DC and DM will draw money from the Central Nodal Agency (CNA) account and take necessary action.
  • The committee may appoint a nodal officer and take assistance of any civil society representative, social worker and district probation officer to assist them in processing cases of needy prisoners.

The Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme

  • It is an initiative by the Government of India to provide financial assistance to poor prisoners who are unable to pay fines or bail amounts, preventing their release from jail.
  • The scheme aims to address the issue of overcrowding in prisons and ensure that no prisoner remains incarcerated solely due to financial constraints.