UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Frame policy for release of terminally ill inmates: SC

Q1. Which of the following are correctly identified as statutory functions of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987?

  1. Laying down policies and principles for making legal services available to weaker sections.
  2. Framing the most effective and economical schemes for making legal services available.
  3. Organising Lok Adalats for the amicable settlement of disputes.
  4. Adjudicating and delivering final binding verdicts in all pending criminal appeals filed by indigent prisoners.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. In its 2026 order on a NALSA petition, the Supreme Court directed all States and Union Territories to frame a uniform policy for the premature release of elderly and terminally ill prisoners within a stipulated time. What was that time limit?

  • A. One month
  • B. Three months
  • C. Six months
  • D. One year

Q3. With reference to the Supreme Court's 2026 direction on release of terminally ill and elderly prisoners, which of the following are correctly identified features of the order?

  1. The petition on which the direction was passed had been filed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
  2. The uniform policy is to be framed by States/UTs in consultation with the State Legal Services Authorities.
  3. Applications for release are to be processed through the e-Prisons portal.
  4. Periodic review of eligible cases is to be routed through the National Human Rights Commission.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Notwithstanding the Supreme Court's Article 21 supervision over prisoner welfare, the day-to-day administration of prisons in India is primarily the responsibility of which one of the following?

  • A. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, which directly manages all prisons
  • B. The respective State Governments, prisons being a State subject
  • C. The Union Ministry of Law and Justice through NALSA
  • D. The National Human Rights Commission

Q5. Consider the following cases and the matters associated with them. Which of the following is NOT correctly associated with prisoners' rights jurisprudence under Article 21?

  1. Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar — right to a speedy trial of undertrial prisoners.
  2. Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration — humane prison conditions and dignity of inmates.
  3. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan — guidelines against sexual harassment of women at the workplace.
  4. Charles Sobhraj v. Superintendent, Central Jail, Tihar — rights and treatment of prisoners under Article 21.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4

Q6. Consider the following statutes and the subject matter attributed to each. Which of the pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Prisons Act, 1894 — administration and management of prisons.
  2. Prisoners Act, 1900 — custody, removal and transfer of prisoners.
  3. Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 — release of certain offenders on probation of good conduct.
  4. Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — enacted to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q7. Under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the power to remit or commute a sentence is primarily vested in which one of the following?

  • A. The appropriate Government (Union or State, as the case may be)
  • B. The President of India, exclusively
  • C. The trial court that passed the sentence
  • D. The National Legal Services Authority

Q8. With reference to bail provisions for undertrial prisoners under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and related jurisprudence, which of the following statements are correct?

  1. A first-time offender becomes eligible for release on bail after undergoing detention for one-third of the maximum period of imprisonment prescribed for the offence.
  2. A general undertrial (other than a first-time offender) becomes eligible for release on bail after undergoing one-half of the maximum period of imprisonment.
  3. The relief applies equally to offences punishable with death or life imprisonment.
  4. The Supreme Court has extended the principle that 'bail is the rule and jail the exception' even to special laws such as the PMLA.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q9. Following the repeal of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which one of the following is now the principal statute that governs the grant of bail to accused and undertrial persons in India?

  • A. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  • B. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
  • C. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
  • D. The Indian Penal Code, 1860

Q10. According to the latest available Prison Statistics India report (NCRB, 2022), approximately what proportion of the total prison inmate population were undertrial prisoners?

  • A. About 50 per cent
  • B. About 65 per cent
  • C. About 75 per cent
  • D. About 90 per cent

Q11. Which one of the following forms of temporary release of a prisoner is granted periodically as a matter of the prisoner's right, primarily to enable a long-term convict to maintain family and social ties, without the need to cite any specific emergency?

  • A. Furlough
  • B. Parole
  • C. Remission
  • D. Commutation