PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
More than half of the jails in Uttarakhand are currently holding up to double their sanctioned carrying capacity, even though the total number of prisoners decreased by 765 compared to last year. This data was provided to Nadeem Uddin, a Kashipur-based RTI activist, who sought information under Right to Information (RTI) act from the Inspector General of Prisons (Prison Headquarters), Uttarakhand, regarding the capacity of the state’s jails and the current number of inmates.
According to the information available to Uddin as of February 23, 2026, several jails remain dangerously overcrowded. District Jail Nainital is lodging 141 prisoners against a carrying capacity of just 71. The situation is worse at District Jail Almora, where 189 prisoners are housed in a facility meant for 102, pushing occupancy to 185 per cent. Dehradun Jail is accommodating 911 prisoners which is 157 per cent of its approved capacity of 580. Similarly, Sub Jail Haldwani has 1,025 inmates against a capacity of 675, reaching 152 per cent occupancy. Central Jail Sitarganj has 772 inmates, which is 140 per cent of its 552-inmate capacity, while Sub Jail Roorkee has 298 prisoners against a sanctioned strength of 244, marking 122 per cent occupancy.
The RTI query shows that the Sampurnanand Camp open jail in Sitarganj has the lowest occupancy, with just 56 prisoners against a capacity of 300. District Jail Chamoli has 109 prisoners in a 169-capacity facility.
