Delhi High Court Seeks Status Report From Tihar Jail Authorities, Police On Death Of Inmate Ankit Gujjar

The Delhi High Court has sought status report from Tihar Jail authorities as well as the Delhi Police in a petition concerning the alleged murder of inmate Ankit Gujjar, a 29-year old gangster, inside Tihar Jail earlier this month. The plea sought transfer of probe from Delhi Police to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Justice Mukta Gupta also directed Director General (Prisons) to preserve all the CCTV footages having bearing on the incident, i.e. prior to the incident, at the time of incident and thereafter.

The plea moved by Ankit's mother, sister and brother through Advocates Mehmood Pracha and Shariq Nisar also sought adequate protection to them.

Ankit Gujjar was found dead inside Tihar Jail on August 4. He was lodged in Central Jail No. 3. Four officials were also suspended by the DGP in connection with the incident, including Deputy Superintendent, two Assistant Superintendents and one Warden.

"In the first instance, status report be filed under the signatures of Director General (Prisons) on behalf of respondent No. 1 and under the signatures of the Joint Commissioner of Police concerned on behalf of respondent No. 2," the Court directed while adjourning the matter to September 2.

The plea alleged that Ankit was being harassed by jail officials and was in fact murdered as a part of a pre-planned conspiracy.

"The brutality meted out to the deceased as evidenced from the photographs of his corpse, coupled with the fact that he was left to die in a solitary cell without any medical attention whatsoever, renders to the present case a colour of the rarest of rare category," the plea read.

Case Title: GEETA AND ORS v. STATE & ORS