From Cells To Servers: SC Probes E-Prisons Portal's Efficiency In Managing Prisoner Data

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court resolved to examine the operation of the e-prisons portal, which was created on October 3 by the Union Home Ministry and NIC. The High Court's Registrar Judicial was instructed by a bench led by Justice Abhay Oka to make sure that the Court is shown how the site operates in the conference room on the specified date.

The lawyer for the Central Government and other parties would be free to attend, the Court declared. The Registry was also directed by the Court to make sure that NIC's representative was present.

The order was issued by the Court while it was deliberating over a feature of the e-prisons portal in a dispute concerning the guidelines for Court-granted bail. This came about after the amicus informed the Court that the Home Ministry operates the e-prison portal, which is a prison administration network that links numerous Jails nationwide and contains all of the detainee's records.

However, the Court noted that it cannot understand without clearly viewing the portal and would prefer to examine how it operates before proceeding. The e-prison portal, according to the amicus curiae in the case, is a data mine that operates at various levels.

"What is the usefulness in practice? In bail cases, we need to know the extent of an individual's trauma and must request such information," the Judge ruled.

The Court went on to say that it had encountered instances in which a person is not brought before the trial Court for the required formalities and no one is aware that a bail order has been issued in other Courts.

"We can pass further orders ensuring that persons are taken to the Trial Court to complete the bail formalities,"  the Judge stated orally. On November 5, the Court will take up the subject of the e-prison portal once more. The Judge declared that the amicus on his note would be heard after viewing the portal's demonstration.

Author:
Aarya Kadam (News Writer) is a final-year BBA student and a creative writer with a passion for current affairs and legal Judgments.