Rama Ramanathan, a spokesman for Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (Caged), said prisoners were being driven mad by sardine-like confinement and a lack of food, light and hygiene.

“Our prisons are inhumanity-inducing institutions because prison wardens are made to accept inhuman behaviour as normal, such as using tools of deprivation and beatings to force prisoners into submission,” he said.

His remarks followed a former prisoner’s allegation of torture and deprivation at the hands of warders.

The former inmate, who asked to be identified only as Ali, told his story in a recent interview with FMT.

Ali said he was remanded for five years in a prison in a northern state.

Rama congratulated Ali and 41 others for “gathering the courage” to write a petition.

He questioned the effectiveness of the role of judicial officers appointed to visit prisons.

Under the Prisons Act, the government must appoint a board of visiting justices for every state every two years.

He also said there were too many people in prisons, noting that Suhakam had been stating this for years.

“The stream of horrific stories about prisons presents ample opportunities for corrupt power holders to demand and receive gratification for not charging or prosecuting offenders,” he said.

“This stream must be dried up by reducing the use of prisons and by ending abuses in prisons.”

He urged Azalina Othman, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prison and Detention Centre Reforms, to demand answers from home minister Hamzah Zainudin about the claims made by Ali.

The prisons department and home ministry have yet to respond to FMT’s request for comments.

Ali’s lawyer, Hussaini Abdul Rashid, said he had written to the home minister and the commissioner-general of prisons and was awaiting a response.