NEW DELHI, Oct. 28 -- According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in February 2024, as of December 2022, there were 4,34,302 undertrial prisoners in various jails in India, constituting 75.08% of the total prison population. The majority of the undertrial prisoners belonged to the oppressed communities in the country: 20.94 belonged to the Scheduled Castes, 9.26% were scheduled Tribes, and 35.88% came from economically, socially and educationally backward communities.

The number of undertrial prisoners in Indian Jails who have spent one to two years was 63,502; two to three years was 33,980; three to five years was 25,869; and above five years was 11,448. Uttar Pradesh had the maximum number of undertrial priso...