Supreme Court strict on overcrowding in jails, asked for latest data from all states and union territories

Bureau Prayagraj. The Supreme Court has adopted a strict stance regarding the increasing overcrowding in jails across the country. A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta directed all the states and union territories to file detailed affidavits on the current condition of their respective jails. This order was given during the hearing of a PIL related to overcrowding in jails.

Advocate Gaurav Aggarwal, appointed as amicus curiae in the case by the Supreme Court, said that the court does not have any updated data available regarding the latest status of jails state-wise. On this, the bench clarified that states and union territories will have to provide complete information about jails. This will include the capacity of each prison, the total number of prisoners lodged there (both undertrials and convicted), and the percentage of overcrowding in each prison. Apart from this, the court has also sought information about the steps taken or proposed to reduce crowding in jails.

Paying special attention to women’s prisons, the court also asked for details of the facilities available there. The Supreme Court has said that all these affidavits should be filed by the Home Secretary of the respective states and union territories. The last date for this has been fixed as 18 May 2026. The next hearing of this case will be on 26 May 2026.