Overview
- A Union Home Ministry notification on Nov. 7, 2026 applied the Punjab Prisons and Correctional Services Act to the Union Territory of Chandigarh with specific modifications.
- The amended rules allow convicted prisoners, including those serving life terms, to be moved between Chandigarh and other states or UTs with the consent of the receiving government and an order from the Chandigarh administrator.
- Undertrial transfers are limited to cases tied to security, law-and-order or public interest and require both the receiving government’s consent and approval of the court where the trial is pending.
- The notification adds operational controls such as permission requirements for aerial objects in designated no-fly zones around jails and mandates regular staff training on prisoners’ rights, including disability sensitivity.
- Implementation depends on future transfer orders, intergovernmental consents and court approvals, and the change also replaces Punjab procurement references with the central General Financial Rules, 2017, which could speed administrative alignment with national norms.