Why Maharashtra wants to move its historic jail housed in an old Portuguese fort

The entrance to Thane Central Jail. The prison, set up by the British in 1838 on the site of a former Portuguese-era fort, has an authorised capacity of 1,111 inmates but holds more than 3,500. (Express Photo by Deepak Joshi)

Thane Central Jail sits on the site of a fort that was under Portuguese rule until the Marathas captured it in 1737. The British turned it into a prison in 1838. It has an authorised capacity of 1,111 inmates. Today it holds more than 3,500.

Maharashtra now wants to move it. In a letter issued in October, the state Home Department asked the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation (MSIDC) to prepare a proposal for a new prison for 5,000 inmates on a 50-acre site in Bhiwandi, about 30 km away.

The letter directed the MSIDC to start the process, including inspecting the site, which is spread across Pise, Amane and Vashere in Bhiwandi taluka. The department said the Cabinet proposal for the relocation was under consideration and called for immediate action to help get it approved. The MSIDC has also been asked to prepare maps, construction layouts and cost estimates for administrative approval through the Prison Department, an official said.

Don’t expect the move soon. The new prison has to be built and then cleared to function as a jail under the prison manual. Officials said that could take up to a decade.

A real estate question?

The state Cabinet gave in-principle approval in 2025 to relocate the Thane and Nagpur central jails. Since then, the plan has raised concerns about how far the Bhiwandi site is from courts and hospitals, and about what will happen to the old jail’s 43 acres.

BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar has repeatedly raised concerns about the move in the Assembly, asking whether it was being driven by the area’s real estate potential. In August 2025, after the in-principle approval, the Prison Department was reportedly told to stop new construction at the existing jail, apart from minor works. Kelkar then urged the Home Department to let already-approved works go ahead, pointing out that the new prison could take years to build.

The Thane Municipal Corporation’s general body sought the relocation in 2018. It proposed preserving the historic structure as a heritage and tourist precinct. The civic body has said a museum could come up on part of the land once the existing barracks are demolished.

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Far from courts and hospitals

Prison officials are worried about access to courts and hospitals. Thane jail holds undertrials whose cases are being heard in courts in South Mumbai, Dindoshi, Thane and Raigad.

Inmates who need emergency care are taken to Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital in Kalwa. Those who need specialised treatment are sent to the state-run J J Hospital, which would be around 60 km from the new site. Officials have suggested producing undertrials before courts by video-conferencing. The Samruddhi Mahamarg could also help cut travel time for court appearances and hospital visits.

From fort to prison

The British took control of the fort in 1774 and converted it into a jail in 1838. It became a Central Prison in 1972. It is among the city’s oldest prisons.

During the freedom struggle, revolutionaries Anant Kanhere, Krishnaji Karve and Vinayak Deshpande were hanged at the jail in 1910 for the assassination of Nashik collector A M T Jackson.