Pranav Shukla
During a suo moto hearing Supreme Court on 19 November 2024 in the case In Re: Policy Strategy for Grant of Bail, the Court deliberated on the potential role of the e-prison portal in addressing systemic delays. These delays often result in prisoners remaining in custody despite being granted bail, primarily because they are unable to provide the required sureties.
The bench, comprising of Justices Abhay S. Oka and A.G. Masih, emphasized the importance of the e-prison portal in linking court and prison records to facilitate the prompt release of prisoners. The Court examined proposals to improve the portal, resolve longstanding untracked cases, and establish uniform procedures across states.
The e-Prison Portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, connects 1,318 prisons across India and monitors the entire lifecycle of prisoners, from admission to release. It is proposed as a key mechanism to ensure justice for prisoners who remain incarcerated despite being granted bail due to their inability to provide sureties.
Pre-Trial Numbers (PTNs), generated during custody proceedings, are often inconsistently recorded, causing challenges in tracking prisoners. Advocate Devansh A. Mohta, serving as amicus curiae, emphasized the importance of uniformly integrating PTNs with FIR details on custody warrants. He suggested that courts ensure PTN and FIR details are consistently included in all communications between courts and prisons.
Justice Oka underscored the need to leverage the e-prison portal to prevent prisoners from remaining in custody due to procedural delays, while Advocate Devansh A. Mohta recommended reviewing bail-related processes, including the integration of PTNs and FIRs in custody warrants. The Court also called for additional suggestions on using the portal to monitor cases where prisoners granted bail remain incarcerated due to their inability to furnish sureties.
Case Name – IN RE POLICY STRATEGY FOR GRANT OF BAIL
Case Number – SMW(Crl) No. 4/2021
Bench – Justices Abhay S. Oka and A.G. Masih