HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has questioned the Prisons department’s opposition to an independent inquiry into the alleged custodial harassment and subsequent suicide of an undertrial prisoner, observing that authorities who had done no wrong should have no reason to resist such a probe.
Justice T Madhavi Devi made the observations while hearing a writ petition filed by Varala Hima, a daily wage worker from Jangaon district. She alleged that her husband, Varala Mallaiah, died by suicide after being humiliated inside Jangaon Sub Jail by allegedly being forced to clean toilets and scrub prison floors.
The petitioner has sought a comprehensive investigation into the incident, rS 50 lakh compensation and other consequential benefits, alleging violation of her husband’s human rights and fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Senior counsel V Raghunath, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that although a magisterial inquiry was conducted after the death, the petitioner was neither informed nor given an opportunity to participate. He told the court that she had been left to care for two young children and was seeking justice.
Observing that the deceased was an undertrial and not a convicted prisoner, Justice Madhavi Devi remarked that he should not have been compelled to perform menial work. The court also questioned why the Prisons department had not initiated a departmental inquiry into the allegations.
The court observed that while a magisterial inquiry could examine the cause of death, the allegations raised by the deceased’s wife required an independent inquiry by the Inspector General of Prisons. When the state argued that a police inquiry was sufficient and suggested that the court direct the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Police instead, the court questioned the Prisons department’s resistance to an internal investigation.
Noting that prison conditions and inmate welfare were matters of public importance, the court directed the respondents to file their counters along with all relevant inquiry reports and posted the matter to July 28, 2026.
