A bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka directed the Registrar Judicial of the court to ensure the portal’s demonstration is shown in the conference room on the scheduled date.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Wednesday(26th Sept), decided to review the functionality of the e-prisons portal, developed by the Union Home Ministry and NIC, on October 3.
A bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka directed the Registrar Judicial of the court to ensure the portal’s demonstration is shown in the conference room on the scheduled date.
The court also permitted the central government’s advocate and other involved parties to attend the session. Additionally, the court instructed the Registry to ensure a representative from NIC is present.
This order was made while examining the e-prisons portal in connection with a case concerning bail policies. The amicus curiae informed the court that the e-prisons portal, a prison management system run by the Home Ministry, links various prisons across the country and holds records of inmates.
However, the court expressed its intent to view the portal firsthand to gain a clearer understanding before making further decisions. The amicus described the portal as a rich data resource, functioning at different stages.
The court highlighted that, in bail matters, it requires data on the time a person has already served, which the portal might provide. It also noted instances where bail orders were passed, but the concerned individuals were not brought before the trial court to complete the formalities.
“What is the practical benefit? In bail matters, we need to know how much time a person has already served, and we must request that information,”
the court remarked.“First, we need to examine what exactly the portal contains. Until we do that, we won’t be able to fully understand or assess it. We need to see how the portal functions and the type of data it provides. It would be appropriate to first view the e-prisons portal, developed by the MHA and NIC. For this purpose, we direct the Registrar (Judicial) to arrange a demonstration of the e-prisons portal in a suitable conference hall at this court on October 15 at 4:14 pm. The amicus, ASG [KM Nataraj], and other counsel are free to attend. We also request the Registry to ensure that Mr. Ashish Ratnakar, representing NIC in the Supreme Court, is present. After viewing the demonstration, we will hear Mr. Mohta on the notes submitted by him,”
the court directed.Additionally, Shashikant Sharma, HOD and Senior Technical Director of NIC, should also be present.
Highlighting the practical value of the portal, Justice Oka remarked:
“In both the Supreme Court and High Courts, in bail matters or appeals against conviction, we want to know how much time a person has already served. Currently, we have to adjourn cases to gather physical data. We need to consider whether courts have access to this data and who exactly holds access, including state governments.
In many cases, we see situations where the High Court grants bail, but no one is informed, and the individual isn’t produced before the trial court for days. As a result, in the Supreme Court, we issue orders to ensure the person is brought before the trial court within a few days to complete the formalities. It may be necessary to issue additional orders assigning jail authorities the responsibility of ensuring that the individual is taken to the relevant court to fulfill bail requirements.”
The bench hinted that it could issue additional orders to ensure individuals are produced in court to finalize bail procedures. The court scheduled further discussions on the e-prisons portal for November 5, following a demonstration and consideration of the amicus curiae’s note.
