CHENNAI, India (UCAN) -- Six years ago, Kasinathan Pudhiyaraja faced a southern Indian court for allegedly molesting his minor classmate, a charge that eventually was proven false.

Now 21 and out of jail, the shy and lean Hindu youth plans to be back in court one day, not as a defendant but as a defender of falsely accused victims like himself. And the inspiration has come from the Catholic Church.

"I have found a new meaning to my life, thanks to the members of prison ministry," says Pudhiyaraja, who is now a first-year law student.

The youth spoke with UCA News on Jan. 30 at the end of a two-day Prison Ministry of India conference for its southern region. The conference was held in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state, 2,100 kilometers south of New Delhi.

Roughly 60 members of the ministry from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states attended the meeting, where former prisoners shared how Church workers helped them. A few former inmates later told UCA News the Church's initiative inspired them to work for others.

The prison ministry originated in 1986, when students of a seminary in Kerala began visiting a nearby jail on special occasions. They encountered several people languishing in jail on false cases and tried to help them. Over the years, other Church workers followed their example.

In 1994, the Catholic bishops' conference approved the establishment of a national organization for prison ministry, which adopted the name Prison Ministry of India (PMI) the following year.

The ministry gradually spread throughout the country and helped hundreds of prisoners such as Pudhiyaraja. Today 6,000 people, mostly clergy, serve in this ministry around the country.

PMI chairperson Bishop Peter Remigius of Kumbakonam says the prison ministry has become important work for the Church, since India has a large number of prisoners.

Available statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau give a figure of 322,357 prisoners in 1,397 prisons. Among them 225,038 either were under trial or in jail awaiting court verdicts.

The PMI southern region meeting in Chennai addressed various issues regarding the rehabilitation of prisoners.

In a memorandum to governments, Church officials and NGOs, conference participants challenged the notion that imprisonment "is a successful way" to curb crime. They urged the government officials to move from "retributive justice" to "restorative justice" and to help those released from prisons to integrate into the mainstream.

They also asked Church leaders to increase the number of committed people devoted to this work.

The prison ministry "is a difficult mission and it requires committed volunteers," asserts PMI national coordinator Father Sebastian Vadakumpadan. Society has to accept and care for its prisoners, the priest told UCA News.

At the conference, a 24-hour prisoner help line was inaugurated for Coimbatore diocese. Coordinator Fernando Ethelbert told UCA News it would be useful for prisoners, who require special assistance while in prison and after release.

Bishop Remigius predicted the prison apostolate would become one of the Church's "most effective" ministries. He urged the laity to take more interest. He also wants the ministry to become a separate commission under the bishops' conference, as it currently functions under the commission for justice, peace and development.

Speaking with UCA News, the bishop cited Pudhiyaraja's case as "a good example" of what prison ministry can achieve.

Recalling his ordeal, Pudhiyaraja said that in 2001 the police arrested him on the charge of molesting and impregnating a girl. He lost all hope, he said, as "every shred of evidence was against me." He also spent more than 90 days in a jail in Kumbakonam, some 300 kilometers south of Chennai.

A prison ministry official met him by chance, during a routine court visit. Irudhyaraj George, the ministry's coordinator in Kumbakonam diocese, told UCA News he found Pudhiyaraja "so depressed" and "sounding suicidal because of the ordeal he went through."

George, a lawyer, said the police and local politicians framed Pudhiyaraja to hide the real culprit. The police also registered Pudhiyaraja as an adult even though he was only 15 at the time, he related. Indian laws stipulate that people below the age of 18 who are accused of crimes should be sent to juvenile correctional homes, not jails.

George said Kumbakonam diocese's prison ministry decided to provide Pudhiyaraja legal assistance and got him acquitted after "a tough" legal battle.

The ministry helped Pudhiyaraja complete his schooling after his acquittal. Inspired by the prison ministry volunteers, he decided to become a lawyer. "Their commitment saved my life. Now I want to help others," he said. Pudhiyaraja added that he looks forward to "a bright future."

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