Apex court upholds dismissal of 5 jail staff for prisoners’ escape

R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, March 26

The Supreme Court today upheld the dismissal of five jail staff held responsible for the 2004 escape of three prisoners facing trial for their alleged role in the assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

The three prisoners, who had links with the then terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International, and another murder accused had escaped from the Model Jail in Burail, Chandigarh, by digging a 94 feet long and about two feet wide tunnel.

The jail staff are Ved Mitter Gill and Dalbir Singh Sandhu, who were Deputy Superintendents of Police, Paramjit Singh Rana, Assistant Superintendent, Nishan Singh and Inder Singh, who were Head Warder and Warder respectively. The prisoners who had escaped were Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjit Singh and Jagtar Singh Tara (undertrials in the assassination case) and Jagdev Singh.

A Bench comprising Justices Jagdish Singh Khehar and SA Bobde rejected the dismissed jail staff’s contention that the Chandigarh Police Department, which was responsible for the supervisory control over jail inmates, had to be blamed for the escape of the prisoners, and not them.

An evaluation of their duties and responsibilities showed that they were responsible for the escape, the Bench said.