Thane, Feb 11: The number of inmates in 60 jails in Maharashtra stood at 41,075 as on January 31, 2023, while the total capacity is 24,722, as per the Prison Department statistics.

The statistical report for the period ending December 2021 has indicated a steady excess occupancy in jails over years.

The combined capacity of 60 jails in the state is 24,722.

The number of inmates in 18 out of the total of 60 jails in the state is double or more than twice the capacity as on January 31, 2023, it said.

These jails include Mumbai Central Jail (446% occupancy rate), Thane Central Jail (389%), and Buldhana District Jail (387%) among others.

At 5,966, Yerawada Central Jail in Pune had the highest number of inmates as of December 31, 2021, followed by Thane Central Jail at 4,471, Mumbai Central Jail at 3,424, and Taloja Jail at 2,819.

The report stated the jail occupancy in the state was 136.19% in 2017, 148.93% in 2018, 152.72% in 2019, 128.70% in 2020 and 148.80 in 2021. In 2021, Maharashtra stood seventh in the country in terms of occupancy rate.

The average number of inmates in the total 60 jails in 2021 was 34,818, of which 96% were men and 4% were women.

As on January 31, 2023, the number of inmates in all jails was 41,075 of which 39,504 were men, 1,556 were women, and 15 were trans-genders. Of them, 7,949 were convicts, 32,917 undertrials, and 209 detainees. There were also a total of 606 foreign inmates in the jails, it said.

During 2021-22, the factory industry in jails earned Rs 11.10 crore and Rs 2.36 crore through agricultural produce.

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Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.

Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.

On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.

Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”

Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”

Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.

In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.

The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.

Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.

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