Delhi high court asks CBI to probe Tihar’s extortion row

Calling out the “disturbing and startling facts” that emerged from an inquiry into an alleged extortion racket operating within Tihar Jail in connivance with jail officials, the Delhi high court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the suspected criminal activities, and asked the Delhi government to launch a thorough probe to identify delinquent officials aiding the racket.

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order after examining a sealed-cover report submitted by the inspecting judge of Tihar Jail on April 7.

“Very disturbing and startling facts have been revealed, pointing not only to irregularities and illegalities in the functioning of Tihar Jail but also issues touching upon criminal activities going on there,” the court said in its order.

The court directed CBI to register a PE into the extortion syndicate allegedly being run by some inmates with the connivance of jail officials, who were found to be providing special facilities to certain prisoners in exchange for favours. In the same order, the court also instructed the principal secretary (home), Delhi government, to conduct an administrative enquiry into the lapses and identify the officers responsible.

The court was acting on a petition filed by Mohit Kumar Goyal, who was arrested in a cheating case and granted bail after two months. In his plea, Goyal sought an independent probe into the extortion racket allegedly operating from inside the prison.

The April 7 report, based on an on-ground inquiry involving interviews with inmates and staff and an analysis of call data records, revealed that the jail’s landline number was being misused as part of the extortion scheme. It also highlighted serious irregularities and criminal collusion among jail authorities. “Having regard to the contents of the report... we deem it appropriate to require the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry,” the court said.

The judges made it clear that alongside the CBI’s criminal investigation, administrative accountability must also be fixed.

“We also deem it appropriate to direct the Principal Secretary, Home, GNCTD, to conduct an administrative enquiry to find out officers/officials responsible for such mis-happenings and lapses going on in the jail,” the order added.

Both reports — by the CBI and the Delhi government — have been ordered to be submitted by August 4.

Earlier this week, the court had already remarked, after reviewing the report, that “everything in the jail was not in order.” On September 26 last year, the court had first ordered the inspection of Tihar Jail after Goyal flagged the alleged extortion network functioning with impunity.

To be sure, this is not the first time Tihar Jail has come under scrutiny. In July last year, CBI informed the high court that it had already registered a PE into a similar extortion racket, following a petition by jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Sukesh alleged that jail officials were extorting money from him and threatening him. That case is still under investigation, with the next hearing scheduled for July 29.

Sukesh himself allegedly exploited the system by bribing jail staff and using phones to operate his extortion racket from inside. One of the cases under investigation involves his alleged swindling of over ₹200 crore from the wife of former Ranbaxy promoter Shivendra Singh.

The court’s latest order signals mounting judicial impatience with the unchecked criminal nexus inside India’s largest prison.