FOR ONE farming household from Satara — whose 45-year-old member is at present incarcerated at Yerawada Central Jail — making two journeys a month to Pune for visits was not solely a big monetary pressure however a significant trouble, particularly in the course of the wet season and peak summer time because of the lengthy ready instances. This usually left them with no selection however to skip the visits altogether. Nonetheless, with the introduction of the e-Mulakat video conferencing facility, these conferences have turn into a welcome reduction, providing emotional consolation and strengthening household bonds with out the hardships of travelling.
After the introduction of e-Mulakat, the every day depend of 1,200 bodily visitations at Yerawada Central Jail has decreased to round 700 per day. The jail administration has been engaged on additional growing the variety of e-Mulakats.
The e-Mulakat platform is a part of an e-prisons system beneath the Inter-Operable Legal Justice System (ICJS) of the Union Authorities.
The ICJS contains a devoted and safe cloud-based infrastructure operated by the Nationwide Crime Information Bureau (NCRB) and Nationwide Informatics Middle (NIC). ICJS has 5 pillars together with e-Prisons and Crime and Legal Monitoring and Community Methods (CCTNS) for police, e-forensics for forensic labs, e-courts for courts and e-prosecution for Public Prosecutors. Underneath Section-II of ICJS, the ‘one information one entry’ methodology is being launched, whereby information is entered solely as soon as in a single pillar and the identical is then accessible in all different pillars.
Prisons in Maharashtra began implementing the e-Mulakat system in July 2023 on an experimental foundation and from January 2024, all of the prisons within the state got the power. Knowledge shared by the Maharashtra State Jail Division exhibits that between January 1, 2024 to February 9, 2025 a complete of three,16,647 inmates — each convicts and undertrials — availed the e-Mulakat facility as in opposition to 6,69,786 visitations that occurred throughout the identical interval throughout 60 prisons within the state in bodily mode. Because of this near a 3rd of the overall visitations have occurred on-line over this time interval.
Dr Jalindar Supekar, Particular Director Common of Police (Prisons and Correctional Companies) stated, “Our goal is to additional enhance the share of e-Mulakat conferences. For this we’re making provisions for extra video conferencing terminals within the prisons throughout the state.” Of the overall e-Mulakat visitations, Yerawada Central Jail, which is the jail with the very best inhabitants, has reported over 45,000 e-Mulakat visitations throughout this era. Adopted by Taloja Central jail and Thane Central Jail who’ve reported 44 thousand and three thousand e-Mulakat respectively throughout the identical interval. The prisons throughout the state at present home over 1,100 overseas prisoners for whom common conferences with households residing overseas have been attainable solely due to the e-Mulakat system.
Yerawada Jail Superintendent Sunil Dhamal stated, “After the introduction of e-Mulakat final yr, the every day depend of 1,200 bodily visitations at Yerawada Central Jail has decreased to round 700 per day. The others are taking place by way of e-Mulakat. The jail administration is engaged on additional growing the variety of e-Mulakats.”
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On the Nationwide Prisons Data Portal, supplied by the Nationwide Informatics Centre, relations or legal professionals register right here for a digital meet. Their request for an e-Mulakat name is routed to the involved jail administration. Jail employees then scrutinise this request and approve it if it suits all necessities. If accredited, the relative or lawyer is communicated the time for the video name. In that point slot, the inmate is delivered to the e-Mulakat centre.
As soon as on the decision, the id of the relative or lawyer is verified once more and the decision is put by means of.
Dhamal stated, “e-Mulakat considerably saves time and sources for households of inmates and likewise for legal professionals. There was crowding exterior the jail and lengthy waits for households however the scenario is drastically altering. This technique is of nice assist to aged and ailing relations and likewise youngsters within the household. Common visitations from households go a good distance in correctional effort as a result of it helps inmates’ emotional well-being and reduces emotions of isolation. Now we have additionally made this data accessible to kin who come for bodily visitations. Our officers and groups are constantly creating consciousness among the many guests. Registrations for e-Mulakat are growing by day and we hope to see a scenario the place the vast majority of visitations are on-line. However nonetheless, for a lot of accessing the e-Mulakat portal and dealing with telephones or computer systems is tough and so they proceed to avail bodily visitations.”
Throughout prisons in Maharashtra, in-person visitations occur with guests seated on one aspect of fortified glass speaking to inmates on the opposite aspect over an intercom beneath employees supervision. As per the jail guide, solely the fast kin, mates and legal professionals, whose names have been listed by the inmate are allowed to go to her or him. These guidelines are relevant to e-Mulakat conferences, which additionally occur beneath supervision of the jail staffers.
