The Rajasthan High Court has requested a detailed report from the state government and prison authorities regarding the killing of dacoit Jagan Gurjar inside Ajmer High-Security Jail. The court expressed serious concerns about prison security and criminal activities allegedly taking place within jails. A Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice S.P. Sharma and Justice Manish Sharma, issued these directives during a suo motu case on prison reforms.
The Bench instructed the government to clarify what was captured by the CCTV cameras during the incident, the functionality of the surveillance system in the high-security jail, accountability of any jail official post the murder, steps taken to enhance prison security, and the current situation in the state’s jails. The Court raised alarm over the state of prison administration, highlighting issues such as malfunctioning CCTV cameras, lack of effective live monitoring, and the easy access of mobile phones to inmates. It noted that even the Chief Minister had reportedly received threats from within prisons, with no visible improvements.
Amicus Curiae Prateek Kasliwal informed the Court about previous directives to enhance prison infrastructure, citing a report that exposed non-functional or unconnected CCTV cameras in the high-security jail. However, the government allegedly did not act on these findings. The Bench also mentioned reports of criminal networks operating from within prisons, with extortion calls and threats originating from jail premises. It questioned the actions taken by the prison administration following Jagan Gurjar’s murder and whether any official had been held responsible.
Notorious dacoit Jagan Gurjar was killed inside Ajmer High-Security Jail on June 29, allegedly strangled by Vishnu, an accused in the Kuldeep Jaghina murder case, using a towel. Prison officials discovered Gurjar unconscious in his cell during the evening lock-up, with Vishnu reportedly confessing to the crime by stating, “I killed him.”
