Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Himachal Prisons Hold 30 Percent More Inmates Than Capacity
Himachal Pradesh has more people in its jails than the jails were designed to hold.
There are 3,355 inmates, but the approved space is for 2,580 people.
Most of the inmates are people waiting for their trials or people already convicted.
Some large jails in Nahan, Kanda, and Dharamshala are especially crowded.
The government said some drug-law convicts cannot be moved to open-air prisons under current rules.
Officials have not yet decided whether to build a special high-security prison.
The government also said it has not received Rs 1,500 crore in flood assistance announced for affected residents.
Officials are checking reports that some records used 'Hindu Gujjar' instead of 'Gujjar'.
Himachal Pradesh prisons house 3,355 inmates against a sanctioned capacity of 2,580.
The prison population includes 1,113 convicts, 2,203 undertrials, and 39 civil or preventive detainees.
Nahan, Kanda, and Dharamshala facilities are among those operating above their approved capacities.
The government said NDPS Act convicts cannot currently be transferred to open-air jails, while a high-security prison decision remains pending.
The state also reported pending flood aid of Rs 1,500 crore and instances of recording 'Hindu Gujjar' instead of 'Gujjar'.
- Who
- Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and other state ministers provided the information in the assembly.
- What
- The government reported prison overcrowding and addressed questions about cancer treatment, flood assistance, and Gujjar records.
- When
- The prison figures were reported on August 24; the cancer-treatment figures covered January 2023 to August 10, 2026.
- Where
- The information concerned 14 jails and other government matters in Himachal Pradesh.
- Why
- The prisons contain more inmates than their sanctioned capacity, while the other issues were raised through questions in the state assembly.
- Total inmates
- 3,355 people
- Sanctioned prison capacity
- 2,580 inmates
- Prison occupancy
- About 30 percent above sanctioned strength
- Inmate breakdown
- 1,113 convicts, 2,203 undertrials, and 39 civil or preventive detainees
- Most crowded facility cited
- District and Open Home, Dharamshala: 552 inmates against a capacity of 355
- Cancer-treatment visits
- 84,162 visits to government and private Ayurvedic medical colleges and hospitals between January 2023 and August 10, 2026
- Pending flood assistance
- Rs 1,500 crore announced for flood- and rain-affected people, which the state said it had not received