The Maharashtra government released 2,713 inmates on bail till Thursday after taking cognisance of the court order. According to jail sources, many prisoners have been on a hunger strike. Inmates at Arthur Road, Thane, Kalyan, Yerwada, Pune, Nagpur and Kolhapur jails have participated in the strike.

Of 36,000 prisoners, only 8,500 have been sentenced, while the remaining are undertrial. Authorities said that social distancing in jails is not possible, as the prisons are overcrowded so they have decided to bail those who can sentenced to less than seven years.