The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned Tihar Jail authorities over the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside the jail premises and the failure to take timely preventive measures.
The 33-year-old was recently stabbed to death inside Tihar prison, allegedly by members of a rival gang. The incident was recorded by CCTV cameras installed inside the prison.
“What disturbs me is that it is being watched on CCTV cameras. How can the police take so long that the incident can’t be stopped while it’s happening?” Justice Jasmeet Singh asked ASC Rahul Tyagi, who was appearing for the State.
The court also questioned Tyagi if the police officers within the jail could be armed to protect the prisoners’ safety.
The ASC then replied, “The rationale is that there are approximately 20,000 inmates housed in the jail. Carrying weapons inside the jail premises is against the jail manual. We’re creating a QRT now, and we’re going to arm them. We must take care of it. I understand that this is a heinous crime, but our response should not be immediate. Let us make a calculated and cool decision… Hard cases result in bad laws. It should not get into a knee-jerk reaction.”
“This is not acceptable. It’s not about a knee-jerk reaction…Doesn’t the reaction have to be commensurate with the offence? Does it commensurate with the offence?” Justice Singh stated.
Tyagi then assured the court that all of the inmates involved in the incident had been apprehended and that same action would be taken against anyone else present outside the jail. These are difficult scenarios for jail administration, he noted.
Tyagi said no to the court’s question about whether the cops have walkie-talkie devices. “The surveillance area is 600 metres away from the jail. So, the person will have to go 600 metres away from the surveillance location to the jail every time,” he stated.
However, Justice Singh stated, “Why do we have to wait for an incident to happen before we say that hard cases make bad laws and knee-jerk reactions? How is it fair? Consider it from the standpoint of a rational person. You have a prison 600 metres away from the surveillance. The purpose of surveillance is to monitor the movement of prisoners. When an incident occurs, the officer will at best flee towards jail. He does not have a walkie-talkie. It’s not acceptable. Something that you have to find out.”
The court added, as Tyagi stated that the authorities are taking immediate steps to change the system in jail, “We should not have to wait for an incident to evoke a response. Take a look at your recovery that you made from surprise checks. Doesn’t it demonstrate the potential of such incidents?”
Tyagi further added that the knives found from the detainees were prepared by them using things such as fans from inside the jail and nothing from outside. Then Justice Singh responded, “It shakes my judicial conscience.”
Previously, the court saw the CCTV footage of the incident and stated that Tajpuriya was taken out of his cell and stabbed to death.
According to Justice Singh, the court was “unable to comprehend” why no action was taken by authorities despite the fact that the entire incident was captured on CCTV camera.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Tajpuriya’s father and brother seeking a CBI investigation into the murder as well as protection for them.
