This refers to the editorial, “Unfairly incarcerated” (September 07). The punitive system of the Indian society is antithetical to the most sacred principle of jurisprudence — innocent until proven guilty. The wheels of justice grind exceedingly slowly for a majority of inmates in Indian prisons who are yet to be convicted of any crime. Consequently, those in conflict with the law and facing trial end up spending years in jail.
This is in contrast to the privileges enjoyed by affluent people who exploit their resources to secure judicial intervention or use devious ways to subvert the law and escape punishment for crimes. The over-crowded, ill-equipped prisons further exacerbate the condition of inmates and make them vulnerable to violence, crime, disease and abuse. It is time the judicial system in India underwent a structural and functional overhaul so that a large number of pending cases are heard and disposed swiftly.