The Tihar prison authorities have informed the court that the individuals responsible for the incident have been suspended, and they are in the process of establishing a Rapid Response Team to address similar occurrences in the future.
In response to the brutal murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya in Tihar prison, the Delhi High Court expressed deep concern, stating that it has shaken their judicial conscience and emphasizing that such incidents are not acceptable.
Justice Jasmeet Singh emphasized the need for proactive measures to address these issues and urged the authorities not to wait for such incidents to happen before taking action.
“These kinds of responses should not require incidents like this. Tihar prison has high security. Look at the amounts recovered from the accused… It shows that similar incidents are possible,” commented Justice Singh.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Tajpuriya’s father and brother, seeking an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In the previous hearing, Justice Singh issued notices and requested updates on the case.
According to a report presented in court, all individuals responsible for the incident have been suspended.
The Additional Standing Counsel (ASC), Rahul Tyagi, informed the court that the authorities are in the process of forming a Quick Response Team (QRT) to handle such cases. However, he cautioned against a knee-jerk reaction, stating that “hard cases make bad law.”
Tyagi also assured that all suspects, including those believed to be involved from outside the jail, will be arrested. However, the Bench questioned the attorney regarding the slow response of the prison guards and their lack of walkie-talkies for effective communication.
“Everything was under CCTV surveillance; someone must have been monitoring it from the control room, right? Why don’t the security personnel have walkie-talkies? Every time such incidents occur, someone manages to escape surveillance and inform the jail. Why should we wait for such instances to declare that difficult cases result in bad law?” the Bench inquired.
The Bench also noted that Tajpuriya was murdered despite a trial court order directing the jail officials to ensure his protection.
“This is unacceptable,” added the Court. The court admitted the status report as evidence and granted Tajpuriya’s family time to submit a rejoinder.
The case will be reviewed after the court’s summer recess.
