Tripura High Court Sets September Deadline for State to Act on Open Prison Infrastructure

Agartala: The High Court of Tripura has expressed serious concern over the State Government’s failure to carry out a court-mandated assessment of its prison infrastructure and formulate a concrete plan for expanding Open Correctional Infrastructure (OCI) in the State.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Biswajit Palit, while hearing a suo motu matter concerning prison administration, observed that the State had failed to undertake the exercise required under directions issued by the Supreme Court earlier this year.The High Court has now directed the State authorities to ensure compliance with the relevant directions of the Supreme Court by September 25, 2026, and has fixed the matter for further consideration on September 28, 2026.

What the Supreme Court Had Required:

The issue arises from the Supreme Court’s judgment in Suhas Chakma v. Union of India and Others, delivered on February 26, 2026.Among other directions, the Supreme Court had required States and Union Territories to take time-bound steps towards expanding open correctional facilities. The directions included conducting a comprehensive assessment of existing prison infrastructure to identify suitable locations for new Open Correctional Infrastructures and to examine whether open or semi-open barracks could be established within existing prisons without affecting safety and security.The States were also required to prepare action plans setting out implementation timelines, budgetary requirements and capacity targets.

For Tripura, the three-month period prescribed for completing the assessment and preparing the necessary plan expired on May 26, 2026.State Committee Proposed Studying Other ModelsWhen the matter came before the High Court, the Bench examined the minutes of a meeting of the State Level Monitoring Committee held on June 22.The Committee had discussed undertaking a detailed study of OCI models functioning in other States, including Telangana and Rajasthan. It also referred to Tripura’s geographical circumstances, including its international border and concerns relating to security, while noting that establishing such infrastructure would require substantial financial resources.The State had indicated that the establishment of OCI could be considered in a phased manner and that preparatory work, including collection of data relating to existing prisons, would be undertaken.

However, the High Court found that this approach did not amount to compliance with the specific exercise mandated by the Supreme Court.Court Says Delay Cannot Be JustifiedThe Bench noted that the Supreme Court’s judgment had already required Tripura to complete a comprehensive assessment and prepare a time-bound action plan within the prescribed period.The Court observed that the State had neither completed the required assessment nor prepared the action plan by the May deadline. Instead, the proposal to first undertake a study of open correctional systems operating elsewhere risked further postponing the implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions.The High Court emphasised that the matter required greater urgency and held that the State could not indefinitely delay compliance by beginning a fresh study of OCI systems in other States. Information from such States, the Court noted, could also be obtained through online sources if required.Accordingly, the Bench directed the respondents to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions relating to the expansion of Open Correctional Infrastructure by September 25, 2026.The matter will next be taken up on September 28, 2026.