NEW DELHI: A fresh petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court, seeking the revival of a contempt case in connection with the alleged abrupt termination of ad-hoc Law Officers across Delhi’s prison system. The plea argues that this act amounts to willful disobedience of the Court’s specific directives issued on September 27, 2019.
The petitioner contends that the discontinuation of these temporary appointments, without the creation of corresponding regular posts, demonstrates clear contempt of court.
The Director General of Tihar Jail and other senior prison officials have been named as respondents for allegedly failing to comply with judicial instructions. The origins of the case lie in a petition filed by Advocate Amit Sahni, a social activist, which was disposed of by a High Court order directing the authorities to complete the recruitment of Law Officers for Delhi’s jails, preferably within twelve weeks of receiving the order.
When these directions were not acted upon within the stipulated period, Advocate Sahni initiated contempt proceedings. During the hearings, the respondents informed the court that 16 Law Officers had been appointed on an ad-hoc basis. On the basis of this assurance, the Court disposed of the contempt case December 21, 2021.
However, the current plea states that despite the passage of more than five years since the initial order, and over three years since the contempt case was closed, no genuine steps have been taken to regularise the posts of Law Officers. On the contrary, the ad-hoc appointments themselves have now been withdrawn.
The plea highlights an order dated April 2, 2025, issued by the Office of the Director General (Prisons), Government of NCT of Delhi, which abruptly ends even the temporary engagement of law graduates fulfilling the role of Law Officers. The petitioner argues that this latest development is yet another instance of wilful disobedience of the Division Bench’s directions.
The earlier petition had already underscored the glaring inadequacy in prison legal staffing. Despite the statutory requirement under the Delhi Prisons Act, 2000, which mandates the presence of a designated Law Officer in every jail, only one Law Officer currently serves all 16 jails in the capital, stationed at the Tihar headquarters. It had further been revealed that between August 2016 and February 2019, no Law Officer was appointed at the prison headquarters at all.
According to Section 6 of the Delhi Prisons Act, each prison must have essential personnel, including a superintendent, deputy superintendent, medical officer, Law Officer, welfare officer, and other staff.