In this photograph taken on November 17, 2006, Indian prisoners perform yoga exercises during a teaching session. (AFP Photo)
Prison officers in Maharashtra have come up with a novel way for convicts to secure early release - master some yoga poses and pass an exam.
Inmates at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune can cut their sentences by up to three months if they impress wardens in yoga, said the prison chief responsible for the programme.
"There's a written and physical exam and those who excel will be given remission with respect to their performance," Bhushankumar Upadhyay, additional director general of the Maharashtra prison department told AFP.
"We have started the written tests and the practical examination will commence in January. We are going to hold two exams a year and prisoners can get a maximum of three months early release," he added.
Mr Upadhyay said the programme was aimed at improving their mental and physical wellbeing.
Prisoners have to answer questions such as "What is Yoga?" and "How does it help you?" as well as perform a series of complex moves.
"Yoga has been found to be very positive in harmonising our mental and physical energy. It has played a great role in the formation of the soul," added Mr Upadhyay, giving away one of the answers.
The initiative at the prison is the latest in a long line of yoga programmes to have started since Narendra Modi, a proponent of yoga, was elected prime minister in May last year.
PM Modi has set up a ministry dedicated to promoting yoga and other traditional treatments, and also started free yoga classes for the government's three million bureaucrats and their families.
Scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaeological evidence of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the Vedas.
Yoga's popularity worldwide is at an all-time high and in June, millions marked the first International Yoga Day.