Nagpur: Nagpur Central Jail is operating well beyond its sanctioned capacity, with 2,836 inmates lodged against accommodation for 1,940 prisoners, resulting in an overcrowding level of nearly 46 per cent, according to data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The figures, furnished by the Inspector General of Prisons in response to an RTI application filed by activist Abhay Kolarkar, expose the mounting pressure on Maharashtra’s prison infrastructure. The data is based on the prison population recorded as on August 31, 2026.
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Nagpur’s overcrowding mirrors a much larger crisis confronting prisons across the State. Maharashtra’s nine central prisons have a combined sanctioned capacity of 16,045 inmates, but are housing 27,979 prisoners, nearly 75 per cent above their authorised capacity.
The situation is even more stretched across the State’s 37 district jails. Against a combined capacity of 7,482 inmates, these prisons are housing 11,365 prisoners, taking occupancy to more than 150 per cent of sanctioned strength.
Nagpur’s 896-inmate overload
At Nagpur Central Jail, the gap between available capacity and actual population stands at 896 inmates. The facility is accommodating almost one-and-a-half times the number of prisoners for which it was designed.
The figures underline the pressure faced by jail authorities in maintaining adequate accommodation, security, healthcare, sanitation and rehabilitation facilities when the inmate population substantially exceeds the sanctioned strength.
Nagpur, however, is not an isolated case.
Among Maharashtra’s central prisons, Mumbai Central Prison recorded one of the most severe capacity pressures. Against a sanctioned capacity of 999 inmates, it housed 3,399 prisoners, more than three times its authorised strength.
Thane Central Prison accommodated 3,330 inmates against a capacity of 1,111, while Yerawada Central Prison had the State’s highest inmate population in absolute terms, with 6,396 prisoners against a sanctioned capacity of 2,767.
Nashik Road Central Prison housed 3,938 inmates against a capacity of 3,208, while Taloja Central Prison had 3,222 prisoners against a sanctioned capacity of 2,324.
Male inmate population drives overcrowding
The RTI data shows that the overwhelming burden on prison accommodation is from male inmates.
Across the central prisons, accommodation has been sanctioned for 15,426 male prisoners, but the actual population stands at 27,195.
The disparity is also stark in district jails, where 10,922 male inmates are lodged against a sanctioned capacity of 6,937.
District jails under even greater strain
The overcrowding becomes particularly stark in several district prisons.
Kalyan District Jail housed 2,054 inmates against a capacity of just 540, meaning its population was nearly four times the sanctioned strength.
Jalgaon District Jail had 751 inmates against a capacity of 274, while Osmanabad District Jail housed 261 prisoners against a sanctioned capacity of 109.
Yavatmal District Jail also faced substantial overcrowding, with 556 inmates lodged against accommodation for only 248.
The numbers point to a structural problem rather than isolated instances of overcrowding. With inmate populations consistently exceeding available accommodation, prison authorities face the difficult task of managing security, healthcare, sanitation, food, living space and rehabilitation within facilities that were not designed for such numbers.
For Nagpur Central Jail, the 896-inmate excess over sanctioned capacity is a particularly significant indicator of the pressure being placed on the city’s correctional infrastructure.
The RTI data therefore raises a broader question for prison administrators: how long can Maharashtra’s jails continue accommodating populations far beyond the capacity for which their infrastructure was sanctioned?
