Hyderabad: Dr Soumya Mishra, director general of prisons and correctional services, has disclosed that 1,811 cases have been heard, with 460 prisoners released (up to September 30) during ‘Jail Adalats‘ held in 2025, which have played a vital role in delivering quick justice to prisoners and reducing case pendency.
She was addressing the national conference on “Building Justice Capacity for Tomorrow: Telangana in Dialogue”, that was jointly organised by the India Justice Report (IJR), NALSAR University of Law, and the Access to Justice for Prisoners (AJP) initiative in Hyderabad on Saturday, October 11.
Highlighting that the Telangana Prisons Department has been moving forward with digital connectivity for court proceedings through video conferencing systems across all prisons, she said that her department has been integrating the judiciary with the e-Courts and e-Prisons modules under the Interoperable Criminal Justice (ICJS) system to enhance coordination, data sharing, and overall transparency in justice delivery.
She underscored Telangana’s commitment to a progressive and humane correctional system, focused on reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
She further mentioned that the prisons department was moving towards providing complete legal aid coverage, ensuring that all under trial and convicted inmates had meaningful access to legal assistance.
Prisoners released through Jail Adalats
- In 2023, 1,128 cases were heard, resulting in the release of 376 prisoners.
- In 2024, 1,932 cases were heard, leading to the release of 483 prisoners.
- In 2025 (up to September 30), 1,811 cases have been heard, with 460 prisoners released.
These figures, she said, reflect the prisons department’s growing focus on access to justice and institutional collaboration with the Judiciary and Legal Services Authorities.
Under the ‘smart prisons’ initiative, Dr Soumya Mishra highlighted that technology has become centre to Telangana’s correctional administration. The integration of e-Prison modules, biometric systems, digital inmate records, and virtual legal aid platforms has made the operation of prisons in Telangana more transparent, efficient, and accountable.
She commended the collaborative efforts of the prisons department, judiciary, police, legal services authorities and data-driven reform, noting that these synergies have significantly contributed to Telangana’s strong performance in the ‘India Justice Report-2025′ and made the state a national model for technology-driven and reform-oriented correctional governance.
In conclusion, Dr Mishra reaffirmed that her department remained committed to building a modern, evidence-based, and compassionate correctional system, aligning smart prisons, legal aid access, and education to create a truly inclusive justice ecosystem.
