Custodial death at Tihar: HC seeks to know if disciplinary action was taken

The plea by the deceased’s father had contended that when he reached the jail, the prison authorities did not cooperate with him and he was not told the real cause of his son’s death.

The Delhi high court on Friday asked the Delhi government to state whether any disciplinary action has been taken against jail officials for the security lapse in the death of an under-trial prisoner at Tihar jail after his father had moved the court, seeking compensation for the custodial death of his son.

He said a charge sheet has also been filed in the trial court on February 26 in this regard. (Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Justice Prathiba M Singh asked the police to file a status report in this regard and said it would hear the plea by the inmate’s father Ali Sher, who had sought a compensation of ₹5 crore for the death of his son, Dilsher Azad, on March 22.

In his plea filed through advocate Vishal Raj Sehijpal, Sher said Azad was an under-trial prisoner at Tihar Jail since September 2019. On November 30, 2020, he received a call from police informing him about the death of his son.

On Friday, the jail authorities through advocate Sanjoy Ghose, additional standing counsel of the Delhi government, told the court that the CCTV footage of the incident have been handed over to the investigation officer of the case. He said a charge sheet has also been filed in the trial court on February 26 in this regard.

Ghose, in a status report, told the court that on November 30, the jail officials heard noises in the morning around 6.45. When they rushed towards the barracks, they found that two inmates were attacking Azad with a handmade improvised sharp edged object. Azad was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.

The court asked the police to file an updated report.

The plea by the deceased’s father had contended that when he reached the jail, the prison authorities did not cooperate with him and he was not told the real cause of his son’s death. After Sher called a lawyer, he was informed that his son was stabbed to death by other inmates.

On the last date, the court had asked the Delhi government to file a status report, indicating whether an FIR has been lodged in connection with the incident and, if so, the status of the investigation.