New rules allow prisoner transfers between Chandigarh and other states

The Union Home Ministry has issued a notification extending the Punjab Police and Correctional Services Act, 2006, to Chandigarh, introducing a framework for inter-jurisdictional prisoner transfers. The decision, made under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, modifies how prisons operate in the union territory while facilitating movement of inmates across state lines.

Under the amended provisions, prisoners serving sentences in Chandigarh—including those sentenced to life imprisonment—can now be transferred to correctional facilities in other states or union territories. Such transfers require the consent of the receiving jurisdiction and an order from the Chandigarh administrator, ensuring coordinated inter-state action on prison management.

The legislation also addresses the transfer of undertrial prisoners, permitting such moves in the administrative interest of Chandigarh's correctional system. Officials expect the new framework to enhance operational flexibility in managing the union territory's prison population while maintaining safeguards through administrative oversight.

Chandigarh, a union territory jointly administered with Punjab, has operated under modified central legislation since its creation. The extension of Punjab's correctional services framework represents an effort to standardize prison administration protocols across the region while enabling rational deployment of inmates based on facility capacity and administrative requirements.