23 Women Behind Bars After Bail Because They Can’t Pay Surety

Maharashtra State Commission for Women recently conducted research on jails around the state and the condition of women prisoners. One of its key findings is that women prisoners can’t leave jail even after magistrates have granted them bail because they cannot pay the surety money.

In Maharashtra, as many as 23 women are still in jail even after getting bail because they don’t have enough money to pay their surety that is required for their release. Vijaya Rahatkar, chairperson, of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, spoke up on this research and said the commission has asked the prison department to set up a corpus fund to help such prisoners. She said that they can allocate an amount of Rs 1.5 crore for this purpose.

The research reported on issues like overcrowding in prisons, the health facilities provided, legal help for women inmates, rehabilitation plans, including skill development and the quality of food provided to prisoners, among others.

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Rahatkar who visited the Yerwada women’s jail in Pune said that the commission had asked a proposal from Yerwada to install new barracks at the women’s jail but it is pending with the prison department. The jail has lodged in more prisoners than it has the capacity to accommodate. It can accommodate 126 prisons but currently the women’s jail has 289 women lodged in including a Bangladeshi and an Indonesian national.

“Women inmates can talk to the district judge, who visits the jail regularly, or with the commission member at the time of inspection. The district judge has the key to the complaint box”

The commission has collaborated with Drishti, a Pune-based NGO to conduct a study on health issues that these women prisoners face. “We will conduct the study for about three to four more months across all jails in the state. So far, we have found the situation to be satisfactory… telemedicine facilities are helping inmates diagnose… illnesses,” she said.

Rahatkar revealed that the state government has agreed to their idea of installing sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators in all the 31 women’s jails in the state. She noted that women prisoners can use the information boards and complaint boxes inside the jail premises to file complaints on whatever issue was plaguing them. A panel formed after a woman prisoner died in Byculla jail in 2017 said that all the jails must have these boards.

“Women inmates can talk to the district judge, who visits the jail regularly, or with the commission member at the time of inspection. The district judge has the key to the complaint box," Rahatkar said.

Picture credit- Canadian Forum

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