Supreme Court Mandates End to Caste-Based Division of Labour in Indian Prisons

The judgment also touched upon Article 17, noting that assigning 'unclean' tasks to specific castes is a form of untouchability. The Court criticized the state for acting as an agent of social hierarchy rather than a reformer. It ordered the deletion of the 'caste' column in prisoner registers and directed the Union government to make necessary changes to the Model Prison Manual, 2016, to ensure that work is assigned based on aptitude and health rather than social identity. This ruling is significant for governance as it highlights the persistence of colonial-era biases in administrative rules. It underscores the concept of 'Constitutional Morality,' where the state must actively dismantle social inequalities rather than mirror them. For the criminal justice system, it marks a shift from punitive and hierarchical management to a more rehabilitative and egalitarian approach. UPSC Relevance: This judgment is a crucial case study for topics like Social Justice, Prison Reforms, and Fundamental Rights. It can be used to illustrate the application of Articles 15, 17, and 21 in the context of institutionalized discrimination and the role of the judiciary in upholding constitutional morality against social stratification.