The Tihar prison in New Delhi was built to house 3,500 inmates but has more than 9,000 prisoners, including Kashmiri, Sikh, Maoist and tribal rebels.

A two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court said prisoners held on minor offences who had been unable to post hefty bail sums could be released if they paid a bond of only 2,000 rupees (45 dollars), court officials said.

The order was given after human rights officials sent a fact-finding mission following the deaths earlier this month, when temperatures in the capital hovered around 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).