The CB-CID has booked the Deputy Inspector General of (DIG) Prisons, Vellore range for the “harassment and torture” of a convict under life imprisonment. 

Following the Madras High Court’s orders, DIG R Rajalakshmi, Additional Superintendent (ASP) Abdul Rahman, and 12 others have been booked for using convicted prisoners to do household work and inflicting violence on them. 

The matter came before the Madras High Court after the convict’s mother filed a petition saying that her son, S Sivakumar, had been illegally kept in solitary confinement for 90 days, that his life was in danger, and that he had been falsely accused of stealing Rs 4.5 lakh and silver jewellery from the DIG’s home, where he had been forced to work against his will and prison rules. 

The Vellore Judicial Magistrate had submitted a report to the High Court on September 4. While passing interim orders, the bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam said, “We have gone through the report in its entirety, and it is shocking to our conscience. Serious allegations are raised against the prison authorities, which require a detailed inquiry. It is not only a case of violation of the prison manual, but a case of harassment/torture of the convict prisoner inside the prison. Illegal utilisation of convict prisoners in the residences of the jail authorities are also stated in the report. They have not only violated the service conditions but indulged in the commission of offences.”

The court ordered the Director General of Police (DGP), Prisons for Vellore range, to initiate action within 10 days of receiving the judicial magistrate’s report. The court also ordered the CB-CID to register criminal cases based on the report. Further, the court has directed that Sivakumar be transferred to the central prison in Salem, where he will receive medical attention if required.