Agartala: The Tripura High Court has issued directions to the state government to set up a State Level Monitoring Committee by June 15 for reviewing prison conditions, evaluating the functioning of Open Correctional Institutions (OCIs), and assessing facilities provided to disabled inmates in correctional homes across the state.
A division bench of Justices M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Biswajit Palit passed the order while hearing a suo motu writ petition taken up pursuant to recent directions of the Supreme Court of India on prison reforms.
The court noted that although steps have been initiated to form the committee, it has not yet been formally constituted. It directed the state authorities to complete the required formalities and ensure that the panel becomes operational by June 15, 2026.
The bench further ordered that the committee must submit quarterly progress reports, with the first report due on August 21, 2026.
The directive comes in the backdrop of a February 2026 judgment of the Supreme Court, which had called upon all states and Union Territories to strengthen and expand Open Correctional Institutions as part of a broader framework of humane prison reforms.
The apex court had underlined that prison administration must comply with constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15 and 21, stressing that open prisons are essential for rehabilitation, social reintegration of inmates, and easing overcrowding in traditional jails.
It had also expressed concern over the poor implementation of OCIs in several parts of the country, particularly highlighting the exclusion of women prisoners from such facilities, and called for stronger safeguards along with improved living conditions for inmates with disabilities.
The matter originally arose from a petition concerning overcrowding and humane conditions in prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic, which subsequently expanded into a wider examination of prison reform across the country.