9 Tihar jail officials suspended for extortion racket

Delhi government suspended nine Tihar jail officials for alleged extortion; court grants two months for investigation amid ongoing scrutiny of prison practices.

The Delhi government on Wednesday told the High Court it has suspended nine Tihar jail officials for their alleged role in an extortion racket run from inside the prison in collusion with inmates, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against them.

To be sure, Tihar Jail, Asia’s largest prison complex, has faced similar scrutiny before. (HT Archive)

Standing counsel Sanjay Lao made the submission before a bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela, responding to the court’s criticism over the government’s failure to comply with the court’s May 2 order. That order had directed the government to identify officials supporting the racket and submit a detailed action report.

On Monday, the court had rebuked the government for not meeting the deadline and sought specifics of the steps taken. Lao on Wednesday said action had been initiated and requested two more months to complete the probe. The bench agreed, granting time until October 28 to submit the report.

“Having regard to the averments made in the application, further eight weeks is granted to the Home Department of GNCTD to submit the report. List this case on October 28, on which the status report as directed on August 11, 2025, shall be filed by CBI and the state government,” the order stated.

The case stems from a plea by Mohit Kumar Goyal, arrested in a cheating case and later released on bail, who sought an independent probe into an alleged extortion network inside Tihar. In September 2024, the court ordered an inspection after Goyal claimed the racket was operating with impunity.

On April 7, the jail’s inspecting judge’s report revealed the jail’s landline number was being misused as part of the extortion scheme and flagged serious irregularities and collusion among jail staff. On May 2, the court asked the CBI to launch a preliminary enquiry (PE) and directed the Delhi government to identify delinquent officials aiding the apparent racket.

Astonished, the high court on Monday termed the situation “unacceptable,” and directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register an FIR, noting that while authorities are obligated to provide basic needs to all inmates, those with money or influence were securing illegal benefits. The direction followed a CBI PE report indicating that both inmates and officials were engaged in a range of corrupt practices inside the jail.

To be sure, Tihar Jail, Asia’s largest prison complex, has faced similar scrutiny before. In July last year, CBI informed the court it had begun a PE into another alleged extortion network after a plea by jailed conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar. Sukesh alleged jail officials extorted money from him and issued threats. On July 29, the CBI reiterated it was examining those allegations.