Delhi HC warns jail warden over ‘unnecessary’ use of force against inmates
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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has cautioned a jail warden against using unwarranted force on inmates, saying violence after a situation has been brought under control is “absolutely impermissible”.
A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Dinesh Bhatt made the observation after examining CCTV footage of an incident inside a jail complex involving Warden Sagar.
The footage, recorded on June 26 at around 9.15 am, showed a quarrel involving 10 to 12 inmates in an open area of the prison. The warden was seen using a danda, or thick stick, to disperse the inmates, following which they returned to separate cells.
The court said the initial intervention appeared to have brought the situation under control. However, it noted that the warden later returned with additional staff, brought the inmates out of their cells and struck them again with the stick.
The Bench said the second instance of force was unjustified as the inmates had already dispersed and returned to their rooms.
“After the situation had been controlled, the use of violence and beating was totally unnecessary,” the court observed.
The warden told the court that the inmates had abused him. However, the High Court said alleged verbal abuse could not justify beating prisoners after they had gone back to their cells.
The court also considered the Delhi Police’s submission that a knife and a needle-like object, referred to as a suwa, had reportedly been recovered from the inmates. But it said the CCTV footage did not indicate that the prisoners posed a threat to the warden during the later incident.
It reiterated that force could not be used against inmates once the disturbance had been contained.
The Bench cautioned Warden Sagar that unnecessary violence against prisoners would not be tolerated and warned that it would take strict action if such conduct was repeated.
Following the court’s observations, the warden tendered an unconditional apology and expressed regret over the incident.
(Inputs from IANS)