Yet, violations are an everyday routine. They get highlighted when there is a mishap with a high-profile person, like a Rajan Pillai whose death in Tihar Prison due to lack of medical care led to the high court awarding compensation; or if a public-spirited individual like Sheela Barse files a PIL; or because of a judge who, as in the recent case of “Re Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons”, sees the need for systemic change. Notorious criminals, too, like Charles Sobhraj and Sunil Batra, who had the gumption to take matters to the Supreme Court, have played their part in prison reforms over the years.