341 prisoners granted bail were not released within 7 days: Kerala HC flags gaps in e-Prisons portal

The Kerala High Court recently raised concerns over gaps noticed in the State's e-Prisons system after the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) found that 341 prisoners who got bail were not released from jail within seven days after the bail order was passed [Suo Motu v State of Kerala & ors]..KeLSA also told the Court that, as on August 29, bail orders were uploaded on the portal only in respect of 60 of these jail inmates. A Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar said that such discrepancies must be addressed on priority. "The figures placed before us indicate a substantial gap between the cases reflected in the portal and the corresponding court orders available in the system. Such a discrepancy requires to be examined immediately, since the availability of the court order is essential for monitoring the status of prisoners and for taking appropriate consequential action," the Bench observed in its August 31 order. .KeLSA also informed the Court that the prisons portal showed 113 inmates whose bail applications had been rejected, but in connection with which orders were available only in 70 cases.The Court, in turn, directed KeLSA to prepare a list of prisoners in respect of whom such court orders were missing and to share it with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the High Court's IT Directorate within three days.The authorities were also asked to determine whether the problem was caused by orders not being uploaded in the first place or by technical issues in transmitting or synchronising data. The Court has called for a report on the issue as well. "Let the requisite information be shared by KeLSA within three days from today so that the necessary steps can be taken by the IT Directorate as well as the NIC without any further delay," the Court said..The Court passed the order ina suo motu case in which it has been monitoring the functioning of the e-Prisons portal and the implementation of welfare measures concerning prisoners, including timely access to legal aid. In the August 31 hearing, the Court also considered a suggestion from jail superintendents across the State regarding a separate facility on the e-Prisons system to identify prisoners who continued to remain in jail solely because they have not paid fines imposed on them.The Court directed the NIC and the High Court's IT Directorate to incorporate such a facility into the system. It also directed that court orders concerning prisoners who are temporarily outside prison should be added on the portal, including those admitted to hospitals or taken to courts under escort.The Court was further informed that the existing system did not allow prison authorities to identify prisoners who had not filed appeals against their convictions. Noting that this information was important, the Court asked the NIC to examine the issue and make necessary changes."The availability of such information is important for enabling the concerned authorities, including the legal aid authorities, to identify cases where an appeal may require consideration and to ensure that no eligible prisoner is deprived of the opportunity to avail himself of the appropriate legal remedy," the Court observed..The Court went on to note that the integration of the High Court Case Management System with the police's iCOPS and e-Prisons system was underway. It has asked the authorities to ensure that this integrated system is made fully functional within four weeks.The matter will be considered next on September 30, 2026..Standing counsel Leo Lukose appeared for KeLSA.[Read Order]