NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has directed the director general (DG) of Tihar Jail to install CCTV cameras inside the offices of senior jail officials to dispel false allegations. The direction came on complaints of one undertrial prisoner Monu alleging that he was severely beaten in the office of a deputy superintendent at Tihar Jail.
Additional sessions judge Sonu Agnihotri said, nowadays, proceedings of courts not only at subordinate level but also of the highest court of the country can be viewed by the general public while sitting in the comfort of their houses, which reflects transparency in functioning of courts around India.
“Lot of precious time of courts around Delhi will be saved and a lot of time and energy of jail authorities will also be saved by installation of CCTV cameras inside offices of superintendent/deputy superintendent,” the court said in an order on July 25.
The DG, in his report, stated the warder concerned had already been transferred to another jail and no further actions seemed warranted against him. The DG further said that the room/office of superintendent/deputy superintendent are often used for hosting dignitaries or visitors and senior officers of the government or other agencies, legal interviews of inmates, interviews of foreign inmates with their consulates and interrogation of inmates by police officers.
The report said that CCTV cameras are installed in each and every corner of the gallery area of the administrative block in Deodhi as well as the control room thereby properly covering the outer area of these rooms.
The court, however, said that if “dignitaries/judges/senior government officers visit jail and offices of superintendent/deputy superintendent are used to host them, this cannot be a reason not to install CCTV cameras inside such offices.”
The judge clarified that the court was not insisting on audio recording in these offices and the ultimate control of these CCTV cameras would remain in the hands of jail authorities. “In case, allegations of beating of UTPs again come inside these offices, truth will come to the fore easily,” the court said.
