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A sensational case has come to light from Nalanda district of Bihar that has raised a big question mark on administrative negligence and the functioning of jail management, which has left everyone speechless. Such an amazing game was played inside the Mandal Jail i.e. jail located in the historical and famous city of Bihar Sharif of the state, hearing about which everyone from the court to the police administration was shocked. There was such a big mistake in matching the documents and identity of the under trial or convicted prisoners in two different cases lodged inside the jail that the bail was approved by the court in the name of another prisoner, but the person coming out of the jail turned out to be someone else. Such serious administrative negligence proves the extent to which arbitrariness or indifference is being exercised in disregarding the rules of security and maintenance of documents within the jail. When it was revealed that the rightful prisoner remained locked inside and the other prisoner started breathing air outside the prison gate, the entire administrative staff was shocked and a high-level inquiry was immediately ordered.
Serious negligence in checking the court’s bail order and documents
Going to the bottom of this entire episode, it becomes clear what level of gross negligence was observed during the bail orders issued by the judiciary and the entries made in the jail record room. As per the rule, whenever a prisoner’s bail is approved by the court, the jail administration has to release him by signing the release permit only after closely matching his name, father’s name, case number and his biometric or physical identity. But in this case of Biharsharif Jail, it seems that the clerk and responsible officers of the jail just blindly signed the files without completing any formality, due to which a huge mistake was made. When the relevant court records were matched with the documents of the prisoner who was released from jail, it became clear that someone else’s name was registered on the papers and the person who came out of the jail was someone else. Such technical and human error also puts a big question mark on the judicial process, because if this mistake is not corrected in time, it could prove to be a huge mess with the justice system.
There was a stir in the jail administration, hasty search of prisoners and rapid raids.
As soon as the jail superintendent and senior officials of the district administration came to know that a wrong prisoner had been released from jail, there was panic in the entire department. The authorities are left scrambling because in the eyes of the law and the courts, this is considered a very serious crime, which poses a direct risk of the prisoner escaping or dodging the justice process. With immediate effect, police teams were activated and a massive search was launched to trace the prisoner who had accidentally escaped from the jail and also to update the exact status of the prisoner whose bail was actually approved. The police raided several locations overnight and recaptured the man and after completing the legal formalities, sent him back behind bars, only then did the officials heave a sigh of relief. After this entire incident came to light, the security arrangements inside the jail, the functioning of the employees and the methods of making entries in the register are being thoroughly reviewed so that such shameful mistake can never be repeated again in future.
There is every possibility of punishment being imposed on the negligent employees, the department has set up an inquiry.
After this sensational negligence, the State Home Department and the Inspector General of Prisons (IG Prison) have also taken this entire matter very seriously and have called for a complete report from the Bihar Sharif Jail Administration. On the basis of preliminary investigation, all those jail personnel, sentries and record keepers whose duty was imposed on that day to check the release documents and match the prisoner are being identified. According to sources, preparations are being made to take strict departmental action, suspension and even filing of criminal cases against the employees and officers found guilty of this serious lapse so that a strong message can be sent to other personnel. This type of negligence in sensitive and secure premises like jail is not forgivable at any cost, because both the safety of the society and the rule of law are at stake. Ultimately, this ‘fabulous game’ of Biharsharif jail has become a dark chapter of administrative laxity which reminds us how the justice system becomes a joke if there is even the slightest laxity in the government machinery.