The Jharkhand High Court has expressed disappointment with the state government and jail administration’s response to a viral video showing prisoners involved in liquor and GST scams dancing inside Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The court found the government’s affidavit incomplete and unsatisfactory, emphasizing that merely suspending lower-level employees is insufficient for such a serious issue.
During the hearing of the case initiated by the court itself, a division bench led by the Chief Justice questioned the lack of accountability on senior officials, particularly the Jail Superintendent and the Inspector General of Prisons. The court raised concerns about the presence of mobile phones and internet access in a high-security prison, highlighting the risks posed to the prison and broader judicial and security systems.
The High Court stressed that these security breaches indicate a systemic failure that requires accountability at the highest levels. It directed the state government to submit a supplementary affidavit within two weeks, addressing the operational status of mobile jammers during the incident, identifying individuals in the CCTV footage, and disclosing any external parties or jail staff involved in facilitating the incident.
Moreover, the court requested information on a comprehensive action plan developed by the jail administration to prevent similar incidents in the future. In a previous hearing, the High Court strongly criticized the jail authorities for their negligence, labeling the incident as “shameful.” The court explicitly instructed that mobile phones, chargers, and narcotics should not reach inmates under any circumstances and called for surprise jail inspections by the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority and the police administration.
The state government had previously informed the court that the jailer and another staff member were suspended following the circulation of the video.
