Overview

• Nine Tihar jail officials have been suspended by the Delhi government’s Home Department pending disciplinary proceedings over alleged involvement in an organised extortion racket with inmates.
• On August 11, the Delhi High Court directed the CBI to lodge an FIR after its preliminary inquiry report revealed collusion and corrupt activities among prison staff and inmates.
• A sealed report by the inspecting judge documented misuse of the jail’s official landline for nefarious purposes and highlighted ‘very disturbing and startling facts’.
• The court has instructed the CBI to broaden its probe to examine links to external contacts, including inmates’ relatives and the petitioner, based on call data records.
• Both the CBI and the GNCTD have been granted eight weeks to submit coordinated status reports, with the next hearing set for October 28.