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

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of India has directed all States and Union Territories to abolish the practice of assigning prison labour based on caste. The Court observed that several state prison manuals—some dating back to the colonial era—contained provisions that allocated menial tasks like sweeping and cleaning to prisoners from 'lower' castes, while assigning cooking or lighter duties to those from 'higher' castes.

The Bench, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, ruled that such institutionalized discrimination is a flagrant violation of Article 15 of the Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. Furthermore, the Court emphasized that the 'right to live with dignity' under Article 21 extends to prisoners, and forcing individuals into specific occupations based on their birth reinforces the archaic and unconstitutional notion of 'purity and pollution.'

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.