Born in jail, trapped by stigma: A fight for dignity and rights

Sunil Ghule's case raises questions about how bureaucratic indifference can scar a life. A clerical error has denied him education & employment

- Pranali Lotlikar

Thirty years after his birth inside the Buldhana district prison, Sunil Ghule's battle for dignity and basic rights is far from over.

What began as a fight to correct a single word—“Jail”—on his birth certificate has now turned into a plea for his right to live with dignity, free from social stigma. Despite the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) acknowledging the injustice and ordering compensation, Ghule continues to face rejection—not only from authorities this time but also from his own village.

Sunil’s story traces back to 1995, when his mother, an undertrial prisoner in an attempted murder case, gave birth to him inside Buldhana District Jail. His father, Nivrutti Ghule, was also lodged in the same prison. “I was born to my mother while she was under trial. My birth took place inside the Buldhana Jail,” Ghule says quietly. His mother, accused alongside his father, was eventually acquitted. But the stigma of his birth never left him.