Delhi wants high-risk inmates to attend court hearings from jail. Here’s the plan
The Delhi Home Department is devising a comprehensive plan to enhance video-conferencing (VC) infrastructure in prisons to enable high-risk inmates to attend court hearings remotely, according to a senior government official. Currently, there are 250 VC facilities in place at Delhi Prisons, and the administration aims to expand this to 840 more cubicles with the necessary systems and arrangements for virtual appearances.
This initiative will benefit not only high-profile prisoners and gangsters but also other inmates who can appear in court hearings virtually.
The virtual hearing system is being implemented across the three main prison complexes in Delhi - Tihar, Mandoli, and Rohini, which collectively house around 20,000 inmates. The new cubicles will be furnished with computers, cameras, internet connectivity, and microphones. Preliminary work has commenced, and tenders are anticipated to be issued soon for the project's implementation.
Transporting high-risk prisoners and gangsters to court poses significant security threats due to the need for additional security arrangements and route planning. These measures can be costly and may lead to security-related issues. By setting up sufficient VC cubicles within the prisons, the government aims to cut expenses and mitigate security risks. This perspective was reinforced by the 2021 incident in Rohini Court, where gangster Jitender Gogi was killed during a court appearance by members of his arch-rival's gang.
Approximately 2,000 inmates are brought before the courts daily, with the exception of cross-examination during trials. However, virtual appearances are feasible for many inmates, and some have already requested them in high-profile cases. In 2024, Aaftab Poonawala, accused of murdering his live-in partner, sought permission to attend all his court hearings via video conferencing, citing security concerns. His request followed an anonymous tip-off about a murder plot against him.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
