Supreme Court Directs Suspension Of Tihar Jail Officials Found To Have Connived With Unitech Case Accused

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the suspension of Tihar Jail officials who are found to have extended undue help and assistance to ex-Unitech promoters Sanjay Chandra & Ajay Chandra while they were in jail. Earlier, the Court had directed shifting of Chandra brothers from Tihar & ordered probe by Delhi police.

The Court had earlier directed the shifting of Chandra brothers, who are in custody in a money laundering case involving Unitech company, from Tihar to Mumbai's Taloja jail, after an enquiry report of the Enforcement Directorate revealed that they had been engaging in several illegal activities within Tihar jail with the connivance of certain officials.

On August 26, a bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah had directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to carry out a probe against the Tihar jail staff on the basis of the ED Report.

Today, in the light of the report submitted by the Delhi Police Commissioner, the bench ordered that the officials who have been prima facie found to have connived with the Unitech accused be placed under suspension pending enquiry. The bench was also told that a criminal case has been registered against the complicit staff under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

On August 26, the Court had noted that the ED's report had contained  specific details of the manner in which the premises of Tihar Central Jail have been used- (1) in engaging in illegal activities by flouting the jail manual; (2) making efforts to dissipate the proceedings; (3) influencing witnesses and attempting to derail the investigation.

The Court had also observed that these illegal activities being carried out in Tihar jail premises have "the propensity to undermine the authority of the court as also to derail the investigation which has been ordered by the Enforcement Directorate, including but not confined to the PMLA".

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