Set up pickets outside Tihar to check contraband being thrown into jail: SC
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that police pickets of Delhi police be set up around the outer wall of Tihar Jail to check the "menace'' of throwing contrabands into the prison premises within two weeks.
The top court said that efforts should be made for the removal of mobile towers from the vicinity of Tihar Jail and the installation of mobile signal jammers in the prison premises in coordination with the Department of Telecommunication.
A bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and MR Shah perused an affidavit filed by Director General (Prison) and directed that all concerned authorities act upon and immediately implement the recommendations made by the Delhi Commissioner of Police Rakesh Asthana and prioritize the proposals which can be implemented in a shorter time and those which may take longer time.
"The proposed setting up of police pickets outside the jail premises to control the menace of contraband articles being thrown from outside can be effectively implemented in the immediate short term for which necessary action be taken by the concerned authorities within a period of two weeks", the bench said.
It said, "The proposal for ensuring that there are no cell phone towers in the immediate vicinity of Tihar Jail and for providing a jamming solution will have to be implemented in close coordination with the Department of Telecommunication. Action to implement the recommendation must begin immediately". The bench also directed the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government to ensure that whatever amendments are required to be undertaken to strengthen the staff recruitment rules for Tihar jail are taken up on or before April 30.
It noted that suspension orders have been issued against 28 non-gazetted staff, two gazetted staff, and services of two contractual employees have been terminated as they were complicit in wrongdoings by ex-Unitech promoters Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra.
The bench said that a status report be filed on or before April 13 on the steps taken to enhance prison security as per the recommendation made by Asthana and listed the matter for further hearing on April 20 for monitoring compliance with the court's direction.
At the outset, advocate Gautam Narayan, appearing for the Delhi government said that DG (Prison) has filed an affidavit pursuant to the January 27 order of the top court and they have broadly categorised the steps to be taken in five categories.
He said that these steps are ramping of prison security including surveillance, installation of body scanners, CCTV and mobile signal jammers, amendment of prison staff recruitment rules, ramping of jail infrastructure including school and medical facilities, reducing the overcrowding of jails by the construction of a new jail at Narela here, steps to be taken for creating staff welfare funds for jail inmates and prison staff.
Narayan said that a proposal has been sent to Delhi Development Authority for the allotment of a 40-acre plot for the construction of a new jail at Narela to reduce overcrowding in prison.
