- Type
- Act
- Year
- २०७९ BS
- Status
- In force
- Category
- खण्ड ४: आन्तरिक प्रशासन · Volume 4: Internal Administration
- Official text
- Official page Official text (PDF)
Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.
What does it do?
- The Act governs how prisons are set up and run. A Department of Prison Management under the Ministry of Home Affairs oversees prisons; the federal and provincial governments may establish prisons, each run by a prison administrator, and the Government may designate special prisons and open prisons. No one may be admitted without a court custody or sentence warrant, each new arrival must be searched and medically examined, every prison must keep a register of inmates, and no one may be held beyond the period ordered.यो ऐनले कारागारको स्थापना र सञ्चालनको व्यवस्था गर्छ। गृह मन्त्रालयअन्तर्गतको कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभागले कारागारको रेखदेख गर्छ; सङ्घीय र प्रदेश सरकारले कारागार स्थापना गर्न सक्छन्, प्रत्येक कारागार कारागार प्रशासकले चलाउँछन्, र सरकारले विशेष कारागार तथा खुला कारागार तोक्न सक्छ। अदालतको थुनुवा पुर्जी वा कैदी पुर्जीबिना कसैलाई कारागारमा राख्न पाइँदैन, नयाँ आउनेको खानतलासी र स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण गर्नुपर्छ, प्रत्येक कारागारले बन्दी अभिलेख किताब राख्नुपर्छ, र तोकिएको अवधिभन्दा बढी थुन्न पाइँदैन। Nepal Law Commission Sections 3–14, pp. 3–11
- Prisoners' living conditions and rights: men and women must be housed in separate buildings (or separate blocks until buildings exist), with separate arrangements for other groups; prisons holding more than 500 people need a hospital, smaller ones a health post; inmates receive daily rations and clothing, regular health checks, visits, education, skills and income-generating programmes, may work with permission, petition through the prison, and register marriages. Handcuffs may be used only in specified situations. A child under five may stay with an imprisoned mother in specified cases, and pregnant and post-natal prisoners receive special care.बन्दीको बसोबास र अधिकार: पुरुष र महिला बन्दीलाई छुट्टाछुट्टै भवनमा (भवन नबनेसम्म छुट्टै ब्लकमा) राख्नुपर्छ, र अन्य समूहका लागि पनि छुट्टै व्यवस्था गर्नुपर्छ; ५०० भन्दा बढी बन्दी भएका कारागारमा अस्पताल र त्यसभन्दा कममा स्वास्थ्य चौकी हुनुपर्छ; बन्दीले दैनिक राशन, पोशाक, नियमित स्वास्थ्य परीक्षण, भेटघाट, पठनपाठन, सीपमूलक र आयमूलक कार्यक्रम पाउँछन्, अनुमति लिएर काम गर्न, कारागारमार्फत निवेदन दिन र विवाह दर्ता गर्न पाउँछन्। तोकिएका अवस्थामा बाहेक हतकडी लगाउन पाइँदैन। तोकिएका अवस्थामा पाँच वर्षमुनिको बालबालिका कैदी आमासँग बस्न सक्छ, र गर्भवती तथा सुत्केरी बन्दीलाई विशेष हेरचाह दिइन्छ। Nepal Law Commission Sections 15–28, 33–37, pp. 11–23
- Prisoners who are gravely ill (for example with heart or kidney disease, cancer or Alzheimer's) and cannot recover, as certified by a medical board, or who are blind or bed-ridden, may be released into family care with Department approval, with the rest of the sentence waived. Eligible prisoners may be placed in open prisons to work on government projects, volunteer or train.मेडिकल बोर्डले निको नहुने र आफ्नो स्याहार आफैँ गर्न नसक्ने भनी सिफारिस गरेका मुटु, मिर्गौला, क्यान्सर, अल्जाइमरजस्ता कडा रोग लागेका, वा दुवै आँखा नदेख्ने वा ओछ्यान परेका कैदीलाई विभागको स्वीकृतिमा बाँकी कैद कट्टा हुने गरी परिवारको जिम्मा छाड्न सकिन्छ। योग्य कैदीलाई सरकारी आयोजनामा काम गर्न, स्वयंसेवा गर्न वा तालिम लिन खुला कारागारमा राख्न सकिन्छ। Nepal Law Commission Sections 39–41, pp. 24–25
- Oversight: the Attorney General (or an official he designates) must inspect prisons at least once a year, and High Court chief judges or judges and Chief District Officers also inspect them. An inspecting official who finds anyone held beyond his sentence or lawful detention period may order immediate release and must report to the Supreme Court, the Ministry and the Department. Escape and other offences by prisoners are punishable, prisoners may lodge grievances, and the Ministry must assess implementation five years after commencement and report to both Houses of Parliament.निगरानी: महान्यायाधिवक्ता वा उहाँले तोकेको अधिकारीले प्रत्येक वर्ष कम्तीमा एकपटक कारागार निरीक्षण गर्नुपर्छ, र उच्च अदालतका न्यायाधीश तथा प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीले पनि निरीक्षण गर्छन्। तोकिएको कैद वा कानूनी थुनाभन्दा बढी अवधि राखिएको भेटिए निरीक्षण अधिकारीले तुरुन्त छाड्न आदेश दिन सक्छन् र सर्वोच्च अदालत, मन्त्रालय र विभागमा प्रतिवेदन दिनुपर्छ। बन्दीले भाग्नेलगायतका कसूर गरेमा सजाय हुन्छ, बन्दीले गुनासो दिन सक्छन्, र ऐन लागू भएको पाँच वर्षपछि मन्त्रालयले कार्यान्वयनको मापन गरी सङ्घीय संसद्का दुवै सदनमा प्रतिवेदन दिनुपर्छ। Nepal Law Commission Sections 42–47, 49–51, 55, 57, pp. 25–33
Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas
- Capacity Overcrowding: the Auditor General, citing the Department of Prison Management's annual progress report, found that the 74 prisons in operation had capacity for 20,492 people but held about 28,613. It also noted that most prison buildings are old and dilapidated, buildings under construction are not completed on time, and skills-development programmes are inadequate, which works against the Prison Reform Concept Paper 2079 goal of turning prisons into correctional homes within five years.भीडभाड: कारागार व्यवस्थापन विभागको वार्षिक प्रगति प्रतिवेदन उद्धृत गर्दै महालेखापरीक्षकले सञ्चालनमा रहेका ७४ कारागारको क्षमता २०,४९२ भए पनि करिब २८,६१३ बन्दी रहेको उल्लेख गरेको छ। अधिकांश कारागार भवन पुराना र जीर्ण रहेको, निर्माणाधीन भवन समयमा सम्पन्न नभएको र सीप विकास कार्यक्रम पर्याप्त नभएको पनि प्रतिवेदनमा छ, जसले पाँच वर्षभित्र कारागारलाई सुधारगृहमा बदल्ने कारागार सुधारको अवधारणापत्र, २०७९ को लक्ष्यमा बाधा पुर्याएको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 62nd report, Ministry of Home Affairs chapter para 14, PDF pp. 334–335 (printed pp. 304–305); OAG 63rd report para 13, PDF p. 298 (printed p. 266)
- Capacity Prison construction is still under way: the Auditor General reported that the Central Prison Nuwakot and prisons in Morang, Jajarkot and Naubasta (Banke) had not been completed, and that the Panchthar prison stood at 37 percent physical progress, with second phases in Bajhang (50 percent), Mugu (70 percent) and Humla (95 percent) still incomplete.कारागार निर्माण अझै जारी: केन्द्रीय कारागार नुवाकोट तथा मोरङ, जाजरकोट र नौबस्ता (बाँके) का कारागार सम्पन्न नभएको, पाँचथर कारागारको भौतिक प्रगति ३७ प्रतिशत रहेको, र बझाङ (५० प्रतिशत), मुगु (७० प्रतिशत) र हुम्ला (९५ प्रतिशत) को दोस्रो चरण बाँकी रहेको महालेखापरीक्षकले उल्लेख गरेको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 62nd report, Ministry of Home Affairs chapter, PDF p. 331 (printed p. 301)
Ideas to fix it
- The Auditor General recommended securing resources in line with the action plan for converting prisons into correctional homes.कारागारलाई सुधारगृहमा परिणत गर्ने कार्ययोजनाअनुसार स्रोत सुनिश्चित गर्न महालेखापरीक्षकले सुझाव दिएको छ। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal
Where does it conflict with other laws?
No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.
Regulations and rules made under it
- कारागार नियमावली, २०८३ In force