Jaipur, July 2 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court has sought a detailed report from the state government and prison authorities on the murder of dacoit Jagan Gurjar inside Ajmer High-Security Jail, expressing serious concern over prison security and alleged criminal activities operating from within jails.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice S.P. Sharma and Justice Manish Sharma issued the directions while hearing a suo motu case on prison reforms.
The Bench directed the government to explain what CCTV cameras recorded during the incident, whether the surveillance system in the high-security jail was functional, whether any jail official had been held accountable following the murder, what action had been taken to strengthen prison security, and what the prevailing situation in the state’s jails was.
Expressing concern over the state of prison administration, the Court observed: “What is happening in the state’s jails? CCTV cameras in the high-security jail are not recording properly, and there is no effective live monitoring system. Mobile phones are easily reaching inmates. Even the Chief Minister has received threats originating from inside prisons. Despite this, there has been no improvement.”
Amicus Curiae Prateek Kasliwal informed the Court that it had repeatedly issued directions to improve prison infrastructure. He said a previous report had highlighted that several CCTV cameras in the high-security jail were either non-functional or not connected to the surveillance network, but the government had failed to act on those findings.
The Bench also referred to repeated reports of criminal networks operating from inside prisons. The judges observed that extortion calls and threats continued to originate from jails and noted that even the Rajasthan Chief Minister had allegedly received threats from within prison premises.
The Court questioned what concrete action the prison administration had taken after Jagan Gurjar’s murder and whether responsibility had been fixed on any official.
Notorious dacoit Jagan Gurjar was murdered inside Ajmer High-Security Jail on June 29. According to prison authorities, Vishnu, an accused in the Kuldeep Jaghina murder case, allegedly strangled Gurjar with a towel inside the barrack.
During the evening lock-up, jail staff found Gurjar lying unconscious in the cell. Officials said Vishnu admitted to the killing when questioned, reportedly telling prison staff: “I killed him.”
–IANS
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