Consider the following statements: Statement-I: In India, prisons are

Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: In India, prisons are managed by State Governments with their own rules and regulations for the day-to-day administration of prisons.
Statement-II: In India, prisons are governed by the Prisons Act, 1894 which expressly kept the subject of prisons in the control of Provincial Governments.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2023
Statement-I is correct. Prisons are listed in List II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Therefore, State Governments have exclusive legislative and executive power over prisons, managing them with their own rules and regulations.
Statement-II is correct. The administration of prisons in India is primarily governed by the Prisons Act, 1894. This Act is a central law passed during the British era, and it explicitly placed the subject of prisons under the control of the Provincial Governments. After independence, this continued with State Governments.
Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. The legal framework established by the Prisons Act, 1894, assigning control to the Provincial Governments, is the reason why prisons are a State subject and managed by State Governments today with their specific rules.
Prisons are a State subject in India, meaning state governments have the primary responsibility for their administration and management, operating under the framework of the Prisons Act, 1894, and their own state-specific rules and regulations.
While the 1894 Act is the foundational law, states can amend it or pass their own comprehensive laws. The Union Government can issue advisories and provide assistance, but the operational control rests with the states.