Shreya Gupta
On August 11, 2025, the Delhi High Court bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, has escalated concerns about corruption and irregularities inside Delhi’s prisons from a preliminary fact-finding stage to a full criminal investigation.
The trigger was an April 7, 2025 letter from an Inspecting Judge flagging grave irregularities. Acting on this, the Court’s May 2, 2025 order tasked the CBI with a preliminary enquiry (PE) and invited the petitioner, jail authorities, and other stakeholders to place material on record.
After the CBI submitted its Preliminary Enquiry Report and a status report in sealed cover, the Bench described the findings as “very disturbing,” noting indications of illegal and corrupt activities involving inmates and jail officials. On that basis, the Court directed the CBI to register an FIR and conduct a thorough investigation, converting the PE into a formal criminal case. In parallel, the Court required the Principal Secretary (Home), GNCT of Delhi, to carry out an administrative and fact-finding enquiry focused on supervisory lapses within the prison administration, and ordered the Director General of Prisons to extend full cooperation.
When the matter was taken up again on August 13, 2025, the Principal Secretary (Home) reported that nine jail officials had already been suspended and disciplinary proceedings initiated. The Court directed that the administrative enquiry be completed and a report filed before the next hearing on October 28, 2025.
The CBI has likewise been directed to submit a status report on the progress of its criminal investigation by the same date. In essence, the Court is maintaining tight judicial supervision on a dual track: a CBI-led criminal probe to address alleged offences and a GNCTD-led administrative process to fix accountability for systemic and supervisory failures.
Case Title: Mohit Kumar Goyal v. State of NCT of Delhi & ors.
Bench: Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela
Case Number: W.P.(CRL) 2898/2024
Click here to access the order
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