Delhi High Court Seeks Status Report on Death of Undertrial Stabbed in Tihar Jail

Delhi High Court has sought a status report on the murder of an undertrial in Tihar Jail.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh ordered the government to state whether or not any FIR had been recorded in connection with the incident and whether the CCTV footage of the cell had been retrieved and retained. 

Knowledge was also obtained on the status of the investigation and whether a file of charges had been filed. In the present case, the deceased, who had been in the Tihar Jail since September 2019, succumbed to nine knife wounds in November 2020. 

The Court acknowledged that such occurrences were seen only in literature. 

"This is a very serious matter. We ought to do something else (when certain cases come to the court)" the Court added. 

At the hearing, Justice Singh also raised questions about the retention and confiscation of CCTV footage from jails. 

The counsel for the deceased's father (petitioner), Vishal Sehijpal, told the Court that a magisterial enquiry was pending. 

Alleging negligence on part of the jail authorities, the petitioner has sought compensation of Rs 5 crores from the Delhi government. 

"When a person is in the custody of police or the jail authorities for that matter, it is the paramount duty of the police/jail authority to keep the said person safe, secure and alive and in the present case, the jail has failed in all counts thus leading to the murder of the petitioner's son," the petition reads. 

The matter would be heard next on March 5.