High Court Upholds Undertrial Prisoner’s Right to Education The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court recently ruled that an undertrial prisoner cannot be denied access to education solely due to incarceration, directing authorities to allow a 69-year-old inmate at Nagpur Central Prison to appear for an LLB examination without incurring escort charges. The court’s decision, delivered by a division bench comprising Justices Urmila Joshi Phalke and Nivedita Mehta, granted the petitioner, Purushottam Kumar Sinha, the right to attend the Summer 2026 LLB second-semester examination under specific conditions. Sinha, an undertrial prisoner and student of Dr BRA Law College, affiliated with Nagpur University, had sought permission to appear for the exam. His petition argued that the exorbitant escort fees imposed by prison authorities effectively barred him from pursuing his education, violating his constitutional rights under Article 21. The court acknowledged that incarceration should not obstruct a prisoner’s educational progress, emphasizing that denying access to education due to financial constraints would be “harsh and unreasonable.” The court directed Nagpur Central Prison authorities to escort Sinha to the examination center on scheduled dates without charging any fees. It also mandated the deployment of security personnel during his travel and throughout the examination period. Additionally, the bench ordered Dr BRA Law College to provide a separate examination hall and an invigilator for Sinha, while allowing a security cordon around him during the exam. The petitioner’s counsel, NS Padia, had argued that the denial of educational access due to inability to pay escort charges constituted an infringement of the prisoner’s fundamental rights to education and dignity.#bombay_high_court #nagpur_bench #purushottam_kumar_sinha #dr_bra_law_college #nagpur_central_prison
