HC: The State is duty-bound to keep the jail inmates free from fear and to ensure that there are no internal fights in jail premises [Read Judgment]

The Delhi HC initiated a motion on its own on the basis of a letter received from one jail inmate namely Purushottam Rana, who complained of maltreatment by the Jail officials

High-Level Committee

A high-level committee was established to look into the complaint in question and enquire into the factual aspect of the matter

Findings of the High-Level Committee

1. The inmates lodged in High-Security jail/wards include Naxalites, fundamentalists, etc.
2. The complainant has multiple cases of grievous nature lodged against him
3. The allegations made by the accused against the jail staff are without merit
4. There were inconsistencies among the statement of the witnesses
5. Prison Department deputed Assistant Superintendent Sh. Jai Singh was appointed to control the menace and such allegations are made to discourage such officers.
6. The complainant is a repeated offender of murder etc. and was also involved in rioting in 2015 where Jai Singh was a witness. Thus his enmity with Jai Singh dates back from 2015.
7. He was granted bail from 18.09.2019 to 25.11.2019 but still hasn’t reported. This shows his disobedience to the rule of law and disregard for the process of law and the Hon'ble Courts.
8. The inmates who deposed in favor of the complainant also have defied rule of law.
9. Thus the statements can’t be found trustworthy
10. Lastly, the multiple cases and jail punishments recorded against criminals like Purushottam Rana, who himself is a dreaded high-risk prisoner, reflects that he is not the kind of person who can be scarred for life by mere threats of jail staff, as has been alleged in his complaint

Court’s Finding

The court thus found that the petition can not be treated as a Public Interest Litigation. However, the court observed, “Nonetheless, we hereby direct the respondents to take all precautions to ensure that there is no untoward incident of nature complained of within the jail. The State is dutybound to keep the jail inmates free from fear and threat and also to ensure that there are no internal flights in jail premises.”

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