DT Next Impact | 12 years a prisoner: Incarcerated woman gets help from Tamil Nadu Prisons chief

CHENNAI: Her conviction was suspended and she was granted bail by the Madras High Court. But that was back in December 2023. More than 300 days later, she still remained behind bars, as the bond amount was too high and there was none in the family who was ready to stand as surety for her. All that seems to have changed on Wednesday, November 13.

On this day, the day DT Next published the story of the 41-year-old woman now lodged in Special Prison for Women, Vellore, the Director-General of Tamil Nadu Prisons and Correctional Service Maheshwar Dayal took note of her plight and deputed a welfare officer to assist Radha (name changed) in fulfilling the conditions for her conditional bail to leave the prison.

DGP Dayal also directed the officers to identify such incarcerated people who remain in Central Prisons across Tamil Nadu despite having secured bail, to help them meet the bond conditions.

As explained in the report published by DT Next, Radha was arrested on September 1, 2012, on charges of killing her two-year-old daughter, and a trial court sentenced her to life in prison. But hearing her appeal, during which her advocate presenting a compelling argument about possibilities of mistrial, the Madras High Court suspended her sentence and granted her bail on December 20,2023.

However, one of the conditions stipulated that a blood relative must provide surety, a requirement that extended her incarceration, as her family members had disowned her for allegedly murdering her daughter.

On Wednesday, a prison official in the rank of Superintendent contacted Radha’s family in Sivaganga over the phone regarding the bail conditions. This led to Radha’s elder brother agreeing to provide surety to meet the bail conditions for his sister, who had remained in prison since her arrest in September 2012.

DGP Dayal even spoke to her over the phone and assured her that the department would take necessary steps to help her meet the bail conditions. Based on his instruction, a circular was also issued directing welfare officers to identify abandoned prisoners who have secured bail but are still languishing in jail due to a lack of money and surety to fulfil bail conditions.

According to Prison Department officials, there are mechanisms such as the district legal services authority, and the Empowered Committee at the district level and Oversight Committee at the State level to implement the ‘Support to Poor Prisoners’ Scheme under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

However, there is a lack of communication regarding bail information from district courts. “We receive information about bail from the High Court, but that is not the case with district courts. We raised this issue during a recent meeting with the High Court judges, who are heading a monitoring committee for schemes supporting poor prisoners. They have assured to address the issue,” said another prison official.