Saket court murder: Probe flags lapses in security for inmates

A Delhi constable raised the alarm and called for backup, but the report notes it took him at least 20 seconds to unlock the double-locking latch

Days after under-trial inmate Aman Poddar, 24, was beaten to death inside the lock-up of the Saket courts complex, a preliminary report has flagged serious lapses in security protocol—chief among them being the failure to segregate rival inmates and a delayed police response to the assault.

CCTV footage captured a verbal altercation between the three around 10am—shortly after they arrived at the complex at 9.30am—before the assault began. (AFP)

The report, compiled after a series of meetings between principal district and sessions judge Shail Jain, senior south district police officers, the Delhi Police’s Third Battalion (which secures the court complex), and the Saket Bar Association, was submitted to the chief justice of the Delhi high court on Monday.

The most glaring lapse, the report said, was the decision to place Poddar in the same cell—Kharja No. 5—as his alleged assaulters Jitender Singh alias Jitte and Jaidev Chand alias Baccha, despite documented animosity. While all three were lodged in Tihar’s Jail No. 8, they were kept in separate wards. However, they were transported together in the same jail van and confined to the same cell ahead of their court appearance on June 6.

Police officials said Poddar had previously assaulted Jitender Singh and his brother with a knife while out on bail last year, pointing to revenge as a likely motive for the attack at court. CCTV footage captured a verbal altercation between the three around 10am—shortly after they arrived at the complex at 9.30am—before the assault began.

According to the report, Singh and Chand allegedly attacked Poddar within minutes of entering the lock-up, smashing his head against a concrete platform in the cell that is used as a wash area. The attack reportedly lasted less than a minute and was witnessed by a constable posted outside the cell, which housed 34 other under-trials.

The constable, who held the keys, raised the alarm and called for backup, but the report notes it took him at least 20 seconds to unlock the double-locking latch. By the time officers intervened, Poddar had suffered grievous injuries. He was first rushed to the court dispensary, then declared dead at AIIMS.

The deputy commissioner of police (Third Battalion) has detailed in the report that the constable’s response time is under internal investigation. A senior battalion officer said, “In incidents involving inmate violence, preventive action must be taken within the first 10 seconds.”

The delay in intervention, coupled with non-segregation of hostile inmates, has prompted the Delhi Police to initiate a probe into how such procedural breaches occurred.

Officers responsible for cell assignments, including those present during the incident, are being interrogated. The lock-up held over 200 inmates across a dozen cells, supervised by 12 constables — a deployment that appears to have fallen short.

Under standard operating procedures, undertrials with known rivalries or gang affiliations must be kept apart. Dossiers listing such details are routinely circulated by jail and district police authorities. In addition, those facing non-heinous charges are to be kept apart from violent offenders. While courts may issue specific instructions in some cases, routine cross-checking is the duty of the lock-up staff.

“This cross-checking is a mandatory precaution, but it appears to have been bypassed…a verbal scuffle between the three was seen that very morning but still they were kept together,” said an officer familiar with the inquiry.

The Saket court lock-up is a two-storey facility opposite the family courts building. Inmates are brought there by Third Battalion escorts from Tihar and handed over to lock-up officials, who are also from the same battalion. One constable is deployed outside each cell.

Despite this structure, the murder has reignited concerns over Saket courts security—lapses in which first made headlines after a lawyer shot and killed a woman at the same courts complex in 2022.

“The need for tighter surveillance, proper segregation, and quicker emergency responses was central to our recent meetings,” said Anil Basoya, secretary, Saket Bar Association.

A murder FIR has been registered at Saket police station. Police are questioning all 34 under-trials from the cell, as well as security personnel posted outside at the time. The role of the constable and the officers who assigned the cell placements are under scrutiny.