The Mumbai Central Prison, also referred to as Arthur Road Jail, was built in 1926, and is Mumbai's largest and oldest prison. It houses most of the city's prisoners. It was declared a Central Jail in 1972. Although its name was changed to Mumbai Central Prison, it is still often referred to as Arthur Road Jail. The jail occupies of land. It is often reported that the jail is overcrowded, and there have been proposals to build another such facility in the eastern suburbs of Mankhurd to ease the load on the jail.
In July 2021, eight new barracks were added to the jail which could house 200 additional inmates. There were several delays in construction, which lasted five years, due to shortage of funds. This was done in an attempt to alleviate the overcrowding situation, something that the prison authorities were frequently criticized for.
- Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani terrorist and member of Lashkar-e-Taiba who took part in the 2008 Mumbai attacks
- Anil Deshmukh, former Minister for Home Affairs in the Government of Maharashtra between 2019 and 2021, is currently jailed pending his trial.
- Raj Kundra, British-Indian businessman, and husband of actress Shilpa Shetty was sent to this prison for a pornography case.
Popular culture
The prison features in Gregory David Roberts' award-winning book Shantaram, which details his life on the run and his time spent in Mumbai, including a stint in Arthur Road. Several scenes in Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers take place in the facility.
See also
- Harsul Central Jail
- Yerwada Central Jail