The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary– May 13, 2021; Day 60

Today we have collated the 10 tricky words/phrases/terms from the editorial on overcrowding of prisons. Go through these words and see how many did you know already. Check their usage as well. This will surely help you to understand the sense the tricky words have conveyed in the editorial.

Difficult Word/ Phrase	Contextual Meaning
Perennial	continually recurring
Salience	the quality of being particularly noticeable or important
Parole	the temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour
Inmate	a person confined to a prison
Stringent	strict, precise, and exacting
Complicity	the state of being involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing
Vulnerability	the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally
Lay down	formulate and enforce or insist on a rule or principle
Undertrial	a person who is being held in custody awaiting trial for a crime
Arbitrarily	without restraint in the use of authority

Protecting prisoners: On overcrowding of prisons

Imprisonment practices need a relook so that the police do not effect unnecessary arrests

If overcrowding of prisons has been a perennial (continually recurring) problem in this country, high occupancy levels can only mean bad news amidst a pandemic. The Supreme Court has been intervening from time to time to address this problem, but its latest order directing the interim release of eligible prisoners acquires salience (the quality of being particularly noticeable or important) in view of the uncontrolled second surge in the raging pandemic. Last year, the Court had passed such an order quite early — the one of March 23, 2020 came even before the nation-wide lockdown. The Court had then ordered all States to take preventive steps as well as constitute high-powered committees to determine the class of prisoners who could be released on bail or parole (the temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour) for a specified period. In directing this week that besides identifying more prisoners for release, the same set of prisoners be given parole this year too, the Court continues its trend of seeking to protect prisoners as well as those guarding them from getting infected. There have been significant initiatives to prevent any uncontrollable spread within the congested jails, ranging from stopping the practice of transporting remand prisoners to court for periodical extension of custody and hearings to asking authorities to prepare readiness and response plans. The Court’s order is welcome, both as a move to decongest jails and a measure that protects the right to life and health of the prisoners. Now that the issue of reducing occupancy in the prison is once again under focus, and not merely for the usual reason of overcrowding, but also in view of the vulnerability of prisoners and prison staff to infection and disease, a comprehensive look at imprisonment practices in the country may be in order.

There have been reports of prisoners testing positive and getting hospitalised. How far the regular testing and medical treatment available to inmates (a person confined to a prison) across the country is effective is unclear. Further, even political prisoners, such as those jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case without any direct link to any act of violence, are being repeatedly denied bail, solely because stringent (strict, precise, and exacting) laws have been invoked against them. Some political activists in Delhi are also in jail under anti-terrorism laws for alleged complicity (the state of being involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing) in riots early last year. The courts must take into account their vulnerability (the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally) to infection and consider bail. In its order, the Supreme Court has rightly emphasised the need to adhere to the norms it had laid down (formulate and enforce or insist on a rule or principle) in Arnesh Kumar vs State of Bihar (2014) under which the police were asked not to effect unnecessary arrests, especially in cases that involve jail terms less than seven years. In the past, the Court has also asked authorities in all districts in the country to give effect to Section 436A of the Cr.P.C., under which undertrials (a person who is being held in custody awaiting trial for a crime) who have completed half of the maximum prison term prescribed for the offence may be released on personal bond. Effective follow-up action is needed to audit these measures so that these are not implemented selectively or arbitrarily (without restraint in the use of authority).

Hope you got to know some new words/phrases which will definitely be useful in the English section of upcoming competitive exams. Wishing you all the best for your preparation!

Want to improve your vocabulary further? Download the Lists of Word-Meanings of Previous Months here.