Who Will Account for the Time Innocent Detainees Spend in Jail? Supreme Court Raises Concerns Over Delayed Release

Across the country’s jails, approximately 75% of inmates are undertrial prisoners, while only 25% have been convicted. The proportion of undertrials is even higher in the jails of Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and Delhi. The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) committee’s UTRC report has not prompted action from central and state governments, despite repeated expressions of concern from the Supreme Court. Recent acquittals in the 2020 Delhi riots case highlighted the plight of innocent individuals wrongly accused and imprisoned.