Grey market for everyday goods thrives in Delhi jails

Many items, which are easily available outside prison walls, are rare luxuries (and sometimes prohibited), which usually means a thriving grey market inside the prison

Sukesh Chandrashekhar, accused of masquerading as a government officer and extorting money from the wife of a businessman has been protesting against jail officers after his television was taken away.

Inside the 400-acre campus of the country’s largest prison complex, leather belts, rope, cotton strings (used to tie pajamas) are among the banned items. (HT Archive)

For almost three weeks in April and May, Chandrashekhar was also on a hunger strike after jail officers denied his request for visits to meet his jailed wife, actor Leena Maria Paul. Paul is lodged in the woman’s jail at the same prison complex. couples lodged in jails are allowed to meet once a week. They meet twice a month in the interview room. Separated by glass panel like all other prisoners

The two were arrested in the ₹200 crore extortion racket that Chandrashekhar allegedly pulled off from inside prison.

Chandrashekhar’s protest for a television -- it is supposed to be made available on demand, but this is rarely followed, and it is usually taken away if a prisoner violates any of the prison rules -- has once again highlighted how many items which are easily available outside prison walls are rare luxuries (and sometimes prohibited), which usually means a thriving grey market inside the prison .

Such as sports shoes.

Sometime in April, a warder inside jail 2 recorded in the superintendent’s prison diary that he spotted few prisoners wearing white sports shoes.

“It sounds weird, but sports shoes are prohibited inside. It may sound harmless to an outsider but everyone inside prison knows the trouble associated with sports shoes. They are prohibited because the space in the wedge (usually sponge) is used as a cavity to store prohibited items. Prisoners hide blades, sharp objects, even cell phones. The sponge in the wedge is cut or removed. Other types of shoes are allowed but the ones with spongy wedges, usually sports shoes are not. Also, sports shoes have laces, which can be used as rope,” said a prison officer who asked not to be named.

Inside the 400-acre campus of the country’s largest prison complex, leather belts, rope, cotton strings (used to tie pajamas) are also banned. Denim jeans or cargo pants with more than four pockets are also banned.

“People may find it strange that such simple items are banned but it is necessary. Even when convicts are given jail uniform, the string used to tie the pajama is removed. The rope or string could be used to end one’s life or take another prisoner’s life. Prisoners also do not even get ropes to hang their clothes for drying after wash. Jeans are banned because the thick denim material could be used to hide blades. A pair of jeans with too many pockets can be used to smuggle prohibited items,” the officer added.

While Chandrashekhar is fighting for his right to be allowed a television set and has written to the prison’s senior officers, this is not the first time prisoners have demanded a television and legally fought for it, legally. One of them was Delhi gangster, Neeraj Bawana who approached a court in November 2019 when jail officers denied him a television. He was later given a television on the court’s orders.

Sunil Gupta, who was the prison’s law officer for over three decades explained the importance of television, “In 1988, when we drafted the jail manual, we realised the importance of television and included it as a non-prohibited item. Initially it was allowed only to prisoners with good conduct. It is common now. But the television can be confiscated by prison authorities under jail rules . This punishment is effective because a television is the only recreation for most prisoners. Having a television outside may mean nothing but inside jail TV is the only recreation.”

Prison officers said that in Chandrashekhar’s case, he was given a television but it was removed after his alleged involvement in bribing jail officers.

His counsel, Anant Malik said: “Discrimination has become the jail’s new manual in the case of my client and his wife because the alleged ₹200 crore extortion scam involves senior jail officials. Telephone facility was denied by the jail authorities initially. The facility was allowed to Leena only after the honourable court’s intervention. For Sukesh (Chandrashekhar) the said facility is still a dream. All inmates are allowed access to TV as per the jail manual, but TV has not been provided to him till date. We had to knock the doors of the court again, more so as my client is under constant psychiatric treatment. Even inmates with UAPA cases are given such facilities. If under trial prisoners have to approach courts even for basic items then it is certainly punishment before conviction, which is against the constitutional mandate”.

The jail administration had in the past received what they term as “strange requests” from prisoners. In May 2019, Christian Michel, the alleged middleman in the scrapped AgustaWestland helicopter deal requested “western food” . Last year, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Sushil Kumar, who was jailed for the murder of another wrestler, requested protein supplements.

“Even a pen is not allowed. It could be used as a weapon. Pens are given to inmates only after the request is allowed by the jail superintendent, who is the head of the jail. The superintendent maintains a record of the number of prisoners who have pens along with their names,” a second officer said.

Gupta said that sports shoes were banned in the mid 90’s because jail officers realised how it was used to smuggle tobacco-related items inside after tobacco was banned.

“About 80% of the prisoners are from lower income group. Most of them are addicted to gutka, tobacco or such items. Until the early 1990s, tobacco and bidis were sold in the jail canteen. The government earned good revenue too. But sometime around 1993, the Delhi government made it a tobacco-free jail. This is when the smuggling started. Prisoners created a hole on the shoe’s wedge by tearing its sponge. Bidis are then inserted and smuggled inside,” Gupta said.

Delhi advocate, Pradeep Rana, who is also wrestler Sushil Kumar’s counsel said, the prohibition of simple items because of archaic rules leads to corruption. “The rich prisoners manage to grease palms of corrupt prison officers and get what they want. But a majority of the underprivileged ones suffer because of weird rules. Every person is innocent until proven guilty. There is a saying in jail – Jail ke andar paanch saal aur jail ke bahar pandra(five years in prison is like fifteen years outside). Why should a simple item like television be denied to prisoners? It is time to follow model of jail in developed countries. We should be looking at conjugal rights for prisoners too.”