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Ranchi, Nov 14 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of a viral video showing prisoners dancing inside the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi’s Hotwar, raising serious concerns over the security and management of prisons in the state.
During the hearing on Friday, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan expressed strong displeasure over the incident and raised questions as to how such a lapse could happen inside a high security jail.
The court directed the Inspector General of Prisons to appear in person on the next date of hearing and ordered to produce the DVR containing the original CCTV footage related to the incident.
Terming the video as “unfortunate” and “shameful”, the bench said the incident exposed the weaknesses of the jail administration.
The court also said that the video clearly suggests the use of mobile phones inside the prison, a violation that has been repeatedly flagged as a major security threat in many prisons across India.
The judges questioned how prisoners, including those facing charges of serious financial crimes, were able to gather in a special hall and engage in such activities without the knowledge of prison authorities.
Advocate Piyush Chitresh, representing the state, told the court that the jail administration had taken immediate action after the video surfaced. Jailer Devnath Ram and Jamadar Vinod Yadav were suspended and a multi-level investigation was started.
Investigation revealed that the video was recorded inside a special hall of the jail and it included two prisoners – Vidhu Gupta and Siddharth Singhania – both accused in liquor and GST scam cases.
He was in jail at the time of the incident but was later released.
The court termed the episode a serious administrative failure, saying that allowing such activities and allowing prisoners to make videos inside the jail is “absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances.”
The case will be heard again on November 18, when the IG Jail is expected to appear in the court.
–IANS
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