**Executive Summary**
This document is a notification from the Tamil Nadu Government, specifically the Home Department, published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette on May 14, 2025. It announces an amendment to the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 2024, with the goal of prohibiting caste-based discrimination in prisons and correctional institutions. The amendment was made effective April 23, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Amendment Overview:**
* The document amends the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 2024.
* **Rule 219 Amendment:**
* A new sub-rule (3) is added to rule 219, titled "Prohibition of caste-based discrimination in Prisons and Correctional Institutions".
* **Caste Information Prohibition:**
* Prison authorities are forbidden from inquiring about, obtaining, or recording caste details of new prisoners during admission.
* No provision/column related to the caste of the prisoner shall be maintained in any register or record.
* **Prisoner Treatment:**
* Strictly ensures no discrimination, classification, or segregation of prisoners based on their caste.
* Strictly ensures no discrimination in the allotment of duty/work based on their caste.
* **Manual Scavenging Prohibition:**
* The "Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013" has a binding effect.
* Manual scavenging or hazardous cleaning of sewers or septic tanks within prisons is strictly prohibited.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Prison Authorities**
* **Impact:** Required to change admission procedures and record-keeping practices to comply with the prohibition of collecting and maintaining caste-related information.
* **Action Required:** Modify forms and procedures to remove caste-related inquiries. Ensure all staff are aware of the new rules and the prohibition of discrimination based on caste.
**Stakeholder: Prisoners**
* **Impact:** Protected from discrimination, classification, or segregation based on caste, and have equal access to duties and work within the prison system.
* **Action Required:** Know your rights.
**Stakeholder: Tamil Nadu Government / Home Department**
* **Impact:** Responsible for enforcement of the new rules to uphold the "Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013"
* **Action Required:** Monitor implementation of the amended rules.
Key Entities Referenced
Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 2024: The main subject of the amendment, dealing with rules governing prisons in Tamil Nadu.
Prisons Act, 1894: The central act under which the Tamil Nadu Government is exercising its powers to amend the prison rules.
Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013: Central Act that is also applied in prisons and correctional institutions. Prohibition of hazardous cleaning.
Tamil Nadu: The state to which the policy and prison rules apply.
Home Department: Department issuing the notification amending the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules.