DUBAI // Only 120 Indian prisoners of about 1,200 in UAE jails want to serve the remainder of their sentence in India because they are afraid their relatives would find out details about their crimes, officials and social workers visiting prisons have revealed.
Women form a small portion of the 10 per cent of Indian prisoners who have formally applied for a transfer to India.
Indian officials said they are awaiting a response from UAE authorities who are processing the requests from jails in different emirates.
“We have shared details of the 120 prisoners with UAE authorities and we are waiting for them to come back with approvals,” said T P Seetharam, the new Indian ambassador to the UAE. “Then we will take it up with authorities in India for arrangements with prisons in different parts of India where they have asked to be shifted to.”
It was not clear when the transfers would begin because Indian jail authorities will not be contacted until after the UAE approves them.
“Overcrowding is a problem in many Indian prisons so that will be a factor to consider,” Mr Seetharam said. “We hope that it will be possible to accommodate them if not in the specific town they have requested, then at least close by.”
The Transfer of Sentenced Persons agreement was signed in New Delhi in November 2011 and ratified by the UAE in February last year.
Application forms were distributed in prisons last June during which prisoners were helped by social workers and consular staff to fill in the reason for imprisonment, time served and passport details.
Those convicted of drug offences or financial crimes, such as bounced cheques and unpaid credit cards, or who are required to pay blood money in murder cases are not eligible for transfer.
Only one Emirati has been sentenced to prison in India, and is currently out on bail. Further details about his case were not available.
Aid workers said Indian inmates serving sentences in the UAE for human trafficking, prostitution and molestation prefer to complete their sentences here.
“There was some interest initially but only a few of the 44 prisoners here want to go,” said B Gopakumar, the joint secretary of the Indian Association in Ras Al Khaimah.
“It’s a shame for prisoners if their parents and family find out they are in jail. So when we asked if they are interested, most said they would not like their family to know.”
Prameela Nadkarni, a volunteer who visits women prisoners, also said few sought to return home.
“When the talk began in women’s prisons most ladies didn’t want to go back,” she said. “One reason could be they are in jail for prostitution and even if their immediate family knows they are in jail, they may not know the reason.
“Their extended family does not even know they were arrested and if they go to an Indian prison everyone will come to know. Also they feel the conditions here are more neat and clean than in Indian prisons.”
Dr Abdul Rahman, the president of the India Club in Fujairah, said some prisoners jailed for road accident death cases wanted to serve time in India.
“But they must first pay blood money to the victim’s family,” he said. “In one case we are in a fix because we have tried to contact the family and the embassy but no one knows who to approach.”
All fines, financial dues and blood money payments must be settled before transfer is considered. Inmates with more than six months to serve are eligible, according to the transfer treaty.
Cases will only be considered when the court ruling is “definitive, enforceable, there is no pending trial or any legal measure against the convicted person in the state where the judgment was ordered”.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
