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CBI Begins Inquiry Into Tihar Jail Extortion Allegations

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday has initiated a preliminary inquiry into allegations of an extortion racket operating from Tihar and other prisons in Delhi. This action follows a petition by Sukesh Chandrasekar, who sought CBI intervention to file an FIR.

The CBI submitted a status report to the Delhi High Court, which Justice Amit Sharma noted on July 19.

“Special Public Prosecutor for CBI has placed on record the status report, which reflects that a preliminary inquiry had been initiated on the allegations of the present petitioner,” stated Justice Sharma. The court has scheduled the next hearing for November 18.

This inquiry was prompted by Chandrasekar’s 2022 petition, where he requested the CBI investigate an extortion racket in Tihar Jail, citing a complaint he made on March 14, 2022. The CBI’s status report included a letter from Ashok K Singh, Chandrasekar’s counsel, sent to the CBI Director on March 11, 2022, alleging extortion and threats from the Director General of Prisons.

Chandrasekar claimed that during an Economic Offences Wing investigation in 2021, he revealed an extortion scheme where money was extorted in exchange for protection and a comfortable stay in Tihar Jail. He alleged that between December 2019 and June 2022, top prison officials extorted Rs 12.50 crores through various channels. Despite these allegations, no action was taken against the then DG Prison, a fact he also disclosed to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Chandrasekar further alleged that due to his statements to the EOW and ED, he has been threatened with death in prison, with attempts to frame his death as a suicide. His petition, filed through advocate Ashok K Singh, led to the High Court ordering the CBI on April 22, 2024, to submit an updated status report by July 19.

Complying with this order, the CBI’s latest status report mentioned receiving similar information and registering a preliminary inquiry on April 16, 2024, to investigate the extortion racket allegations in Tihar and other Delhi prisons.