Click to play videoPatna: After three years of experimenting with speedy trials, the Bihar government faces a different problem.
They just don't have enough place for new inmates and with 66 people being given the death penalty in two years alone, hangmen are also in demand.
IG, Prisons, Sandip Pondrik says, "We have capacity of about 29,000 prisoners in various jails of Bihar. The combined capacity and the average population of prisoners in jails as in December 07 is about 40,000.”
The spurt in the number of prisoners is a flip side to better policing. More and more cases being registered, being put on the fast track, ensuring high conviction rates – a result of the Nitish Kumar government's initiative to ensure speedy trials in lower courts.
The new system, implemented three years ago, has already led to more than 19,000 convictions.
The government concedes the situation warrants immediate attention.
"We are increasing the capacity of jails. The government has taken lot of initiatives to increase the capacity,” says Pondrik.
Even as better policing puts a strain on the prisons in the state, the people here see it as a small price to pay for a larger cause - peace in Bihar.
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