Mumbai, August 13, 2026: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has granted an additional two weeks to the Special Inspector General of Prisons, Pune, to file an affidavit explaining several concerns raised by the commission during its visit to Taloja Central Prison last year.
The commission had taken suo motu cognisance of the issues observed during the inspection and sought an explanation from the prison authorities.
The concerns primarily relate to the manner in which undertrial prisoners are frisked, the adequacy and functioning of the prison’s CCTV surveillance system, and the criteria for appointing skilled and experienced persons to cook food for inmates.
Concern Over Frisking Practices
One of the most serious concerns raised by the SHRC was the practice of making prisoners remove their clothes during frisking. In its order, the commission observed that although the Prison Manual provides for a “thorough search” of prisoners, the term cannot be interpreted to mean that prisoners should be unclothed during the process.
“The Prison Manual mentions about thorough search of the prisoner while entering into the prisoner. The term thorough search could not be extended to unclothing of the prisoners for frisking and searching,” the commission observed.
The issue of humiliating frisking has also previously come before the criminal courts. In 2023, the Special Judge under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), while dealing with an application filed by an undertrial prisoner against jail authorities, held that making undertrials nude during personal searches violated their fundamental right to privacy.
The application was filed after the prisoner alleged that a search guard made him strip naked in the presence of other prisoners and prison staff after he returned to jail following his production before court. He alleged that the guard used filthy and unparliamentary language, misbehaved with and humiliated him, and threatened him when he objected to the manner of search.
The court found substance in the allegations, particularly as other undertrial prisoners had also made similar complaints against the search guard. It held that making prisoners nude for the purpose of search amounted to a violation of their fundamental right to privacy.
Court Suggested Use Of Scanners
The court consequently directed the Superintendent and search guards to use scanners or electronic gadgets for personal searches wherever required. In cases where physical searches were unavoidable because such equipment was unavailable, the authorities were directed not to make undertrials nude, humiliate or misbehave with them, or use filthy or unparliamentary language.
The concerns raised by the SHRC have also found resonance with former prisoners. Abdul Wahid Shaikh, who was acquitted by the trial court in 2015 in the 7/11 Mumbai train blasts case, told The Free Press Journal that prisoners were subjected to humiliating searches at the entry point of the prison.
“It is the most terrible act which we had faced right at the entry level of the prison. We were not only frisked superficially, but were also forced to remove each and every cloth, and that too right in front of every official,” Shaikh said.
He alleged that there were instances when the entire staff, including women officials, were present while prisoners were made to strip.
Shaikh questioned why modern scanning equipment used at airports could not be similarly deployed in prisons. “Were people travelling at airports, if found in possession of alleged contraband within their body, made to go naked? Definitely not. Then why is there discrimination against people entering prison?” he asked.
He further pointed out that an accused person cannot be treated as guilty unless convicted.
“The system forgets the fact that every person who is an accused is not guilty until proven,” he said, adding that a prison, which is intended to be a reformative institution, should not become a place where prisoners are subjected to humiliation.
Shaikh also alleged that the humiliation was not restricted to being made to strip, claiming that there were instances where prison officials allegedly touched prisoners’ private parts during the guise of frisking.
SHRC Seeks Clarification On CCTV And Kitchen Staff
Meanwhile, the SHRC has also sought clarity on the prison’s CCTV system and questioned the absence of clearly laid-down criteria in the Prison Manual or by the prison authorities for selecting persons who are considered skilled and experienced enough to undertake cooking duties inside the jail.
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The commission has now granted the Special Inspector General of Prisons, Pune, another two weeks to submit the affidavit addressing these concerns. The response is expected to indicate the measures proposed by the prison authorities to address the issues flagged during the commission’s inspection.
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