In Brief

This writ petition addressed systemic deficiencies in India's prison administration. The Court found a critical staff shortage of approximately 27,000 positions nationwide, inadequate training of prison personnel, and massive discrepancies in per-inmate spending across States (from ₹3,000 to ₹83,691 annually). The Court directed State Governments and the Union to fill vacancies, prepare standardized training manuals, audit prison expenditure, and strengthen Board of Visitors oversight—all by 31 March 2017. The matter was listed for further hearing on petitioner's arguments regarding unnatural prison deaths, with threats of cost imposition for non-compliance.

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