Question 1

Convicted prisoners are stripped of all their fundamental rights under the Constitution.

Accepted Answer

Prisoners retain their fundamental rights under Part III, particularly Article 21, subject only to reasonable restrictions that legally arise from their incarceration.

Question 2

Prisons and prison management are under the direct control of the Union Government since the Centre drafts the Model Prison Manual.

Accepted Answer

Prisons fall under the State List (Entry 4 of List II) in the Seventh Schedule. The Centre only provides advisory frameworks like the Model Prison Manual.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's 2026 judgment in 'Suhas Chakma v. Union of India' and Open Correctional Institutions (OCIs): 1. The Court ruled that excluding women prisoners from OCIs violates Articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution. 2. The judgment transferred the administrative control of prisons from the State List to the Concurrent List to ensure uniform national standards. 3. The Court restrained State governments from reducing the land area of existing open-air camps and institutions. How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statement 1 is correct; the Court struck down rules barring women from OCIs as blatant gender discrimination. Statement 3 is correct; the SC expressly restrained any reduction in the land area of existing open prisons. Statement 2 is incorrect; the Supreme Court cannot amend the Seventh Schedule through a judgment. Prisons remain a State Subject (Entry 4 of List II).

Question 4

Match the following landmark Supreme Court judgments regarding prison reforms (List I) with their core constitutional principles (List II):

List I:
A. Suhas Chakma v. Union of India (2026)
B. D. Bhuvan Mohan Patnaik v. State of A.P. (1975)
C. L. Muruganantham v. State of Tamil Nadu (2025)

List II:
1. Prisoners retain fundamental rights, especially under Article 21.
2. Compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in prisons.
3. Unconstitutionality of excluding women from Open Correctional Institutions.

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-1, C-2 — A matches 3 (Suhas Chakma focused on Open Correctional Institutions and gender parity). B matches 1 (D. Bhuvan Mohan Patnaik established that fundamental rights do not flee the person as they enter the prison gates). C matches 2 (L. Muruganantham mandated RPwD Act compliance in prisons).

Question 5

Assertion (A): The Supreme Court in 2026 directed the Union Government to establish and directly administer Open Correctional Institutions (OCIs) across all Indian districts. Reason (R): The subject of 'Prisons' falls under the State List, requiring State Governments to execute prison infrastructure and administration reforms.

Accepted Answer

(d) A is false but R is true — Assertion (A) is false because the Supreme Court directed the States and Union Territories (not the Union Government) to establish and expand OCIs, and the Union does not directly administer state prisons. Reason (R) is true because 'Prisons' is Entry 4 of the State List, making state governments primarily responsible for such infrastructure.

SC Guidelines on Open Correctional Institutions

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