Maharashtra’s E-Mulakat Facility: A Game-Changer for Prisoners and Families

Pune, 16th February 2025: The E-Mulakat Office, launched by the Maharashtra Jail Administration, has emerged as a major relief for prisoners and their families. This initiative has significantly reduced travel expenses, administrative hurdles, and overcrowding issues associated with in-person visits. Implemented in 60 prisons across the state, the facility has benefited over 3.16 lakh inmates in the past year.

Earlier, families of prisoners had to endure long wait times and overcrowded visitor rooms to meet their incarcerated relatives. Acknowledging these challenges, the Maharashtra prison department introduced the E-Prison Digital System on July 4, 2023, enabling virtual interactions between inmates and their families.

Between January 1, 2024, and February 9, 2025, a total of 3,16,747 inmates across Maharashtra have used this facility to communicate with their loved ones, according to Additional Director General of Police (Prisons & Correctional Services), Prashant Burade.

The registration process for E-Mulakat has been designed to be simple and accessible:
Prisoners and their families can schedule calls after completing the registration.
Information about the facility is displayed at every prison entrance.
LED screens showcase video tutorials explaining the registration process for families and legal representatives.

The service is currently operational in 60 prisons across Maharashtra.
Maharashtra’s prisons currently house 1,105 foreign inmates, most of whom are serving sentences for drug trafficking. Many of these prisoners struggled with severe depression due to a lack of communication with their families. However, the introduction of E-Mulakat has allowed them to reconnect with their loved ones, leading to significant improvements in their mental well-being, Burade stated.

The Yerwada Central Prison in Pune has recorded the highest number of virtual meetings, with 45,174 E-Mulakat conducted so far.

The expansion of the E-Mulakat facility has provided substantial relief to inmates and their families, while also improving administrative transparency and streamlining communication. Going forward, the prison department aims to further enhance the system for even greater efficiency and accessibility.