HC takes suo moto cognisance of alleged exploitation of jail inmate
Roshan Kumar
Ranchi
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged sexual assault of a woman inmate inside Birsa Munda Central Jail and converted the matter into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
A division bench comprising Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyaya and Justice Pradip Kumar Srivastava directed the Director General of Police (DGP) and the state government to submit a report within two weeks. The next hearing has been scheduled for June 8.
During the hearing, the Vacation Bench termed the matter “extremely sensitive”. The Court observed that the PIL was initiated based on media reports and a letter written by Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi to the Chief Justice of the High Court.
According to the allegations, a female inmate was sexually exploited by the jail superintendent, resulting in pregnancy, and attempts were allegedly made to terminate the fetus. The Court also noted reports suggesting efforts by officials to suppress the incident.
The bench remarked that the allegations were serious as the “custodian of inmates’ welfare” had allegedly turned into a predator. It directed the state to clarify the steps taken to verify the allegations and ordered government counsel Mrinal Kanti Roy to file an affidavit sworn by the DGP.
The Court was informed that the Home Department has constituted a three-member inquiry committee comprising Manoj Kumar, Tushar Ranjan Gupta and Chandramouli Singh. Additionally, on the directions of Justice S.N. Prasad, a team from the Ranchi District Legal Services Authority conducted a separate inquiry.
The issue sparked widespread outrage after Babulal Marandi publicly raised the matter and sought a high-level impartial investigation and strict action against those responsible.
