A Union Government directive in January 2013 said that all prison superintendants should conduct periodic surveys of undertrial prisoners (UTPs), who have completed half of the term for the offence they are charged with, and submit the list to the respective District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs). However, Ashok Nijagannavar, member secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, says no such list was being submitted to DLSAs. It was only being provided on the request of the DLSAs.
Praveen Sood, State Home Secretary, said: “When there is no undertrial under that category why should prison officials submit survey lists?” He added that as of August 31, there was only one UTP eligible for release under Section 436 A of the Cr.PC. Mr. Sood also confirmed that all districts in the State Undertrial Review Committees (UTRCs). However, in a recent study, conducted by Amnesty International India, found that only 10 of the 30 districts had constituted UTRCs.
