A Delhi court has issued directions to Rohini Jail authorities to investigate the alleged payment of extortion money to a prison official through Paytm. This order came after the court examined screenshots of the Paytm transaction presented before it and has called for the CCTV footage from the relevant jail.
The application for this inquiry was submitted on behalf of gangster Praveen Yadav, who claimed that a jail official had been threatening him to extort money. The judge expressed dissatisfaction with the initial inquiry conducted and found that the extortion allegations were not properly investigated.
The court, however, rejected the apprehension raised by the applicant regarding the independence of the inquiry since it was conducted by a different Jail Superintendent. The accused had already been transferred from the earlier prison facility.
The court agreed with the applicant that the extortion allegations needed a proper inquiry, taking into account the provided screenshots and the absence of relevant statements in the report filed on July 15, 2023.
As a result, the court directed the jail officials to verify the facts based on the order dated May 17, 2023. The court also requested the jail authorities to furnish the CCTV footage in a sealed envelope, following the order dated May 25, 2023, from the ASJ Dwarka Courts, along with relevant prison rules.
Advocate Rishab Jain, the counsel for the applicant, provided screenshots of the alleged transaction between the applicant and the Jail Authorities. He argued that the initial report was vague and evasive, not addressing the aspect of extortion, and requested an independent inquiry.
The Law Officer, on the other hand, stated that the inquiry had been conducted as per the court’s orders, with the DlG (Prisons) assigning it to the Superintendent of Mandoli Jail, now Superintendent CJ-01 Tihar. The Law Officer asserted that statements of the applicant, alleged erring officials, and independent witnesses were taken, and no proof of payment had been submitted to the Jail Authorities.
Earlier, on July 14, the court had directed the Rohini Jail Superintendent to ensure the safety and security of Praveen Yadav due to threats by the jail staff to kill him. The threats came after Yadav filed a complaint against an official and jail staff, alleging extortion of protection money from him and his family members. Yadav’s family members had reportedly paid money to the officer through Paytm.
The accused, Praveen Yadav, also known as Model, filed an application on May 17, 2023, alleging that an Assistant Jail Superintendent from Rohini Jail had threatened him and extorted money from his family through Paytm.
The court, in response to the issue of extorting money from the accused and his family members, had earlier directed the DIG Prisons to conduct an inquiry and submit a report by July 5, 2023.
The court has requested the office of DG (Prisons) to expedite the inquiry and file the report within two weeks after hearing the submissions from the applicant’s counsel. According to the applicant’s submission, the applicant’s wife visited the Rohini Jail on July 13, 2023, and was told by Yadav that an Assistant Jail Superintendent threatened him with harm if he did not withdraw his complaint.
Yadav had also expressed concerns about his safety, claiming that he was linked with a rival gang and that his safety might be compromised if he is kept in Tihar Jail.
Praveen Yadav has multiple cases against him, including charges related to murder, attempted murder, extortion, and more.
