The High Court of Bombay at Goa has expressed shock over the discovery of mobile charging points inside Colvale Central Jail and directed the authorities to take stringent corrective steps to prevent smuggling of mobile phones and contraband into the prison.
Justice Shreeram V Shirsat, in a strongly worded order, said it โshocks the conscienceโ that such charging points were installed inside prison cells without the knowledge or approval of the jail administration. The court was hearing a petition concerning an inmate, Chandu Patil, accused of murdering a child, who allegedly made threatening phone calls to the victimโs family from inside the jail.
The judge noted that despite previous incidents of mobile phones and drugs being found within jail premises, the authorities had failed to implement effective preventive mechanisms.
โIt is not obscure as to why the charging points are installed there,โ the court observed, questioning how such infrastructure could have been introduced without oversight.
โIt appears that, despite mobile phones having been found inside the jail earlier, no concrete steps have been taken to prevent such incidents,โ the court said, adding that merely punishing individual inmates was insufficient. โOne needs to go to the root of the matter.โ
The court also cast doubt on the inspection processes in place, stating:
โIs it that the inspection is superficial and just an eye wash or that a deliberate slack inspection is done at the entry point so that the mobile phones find their way inside the jail premises seamlessly?โ
Assuming that signal jammers were not yet installed, the court directed that a โrobust jammer networkโ or cellular inspection systems be put in place urgently. These must be configured to operate strictly within the jail boundaries to avoid disrupting nearby residents.
The High Court also ordered the jail administration to take the following measures:
- Install CCTV cameras at the entry inspection counters, if not already in place.
- Conduct personal searches of inmates entering the jail under CCTV surveillance.
- Ensure CCTV coverage of the Mulaqat (visitor) area.
- Mandate daily inspection of jail cells.
- Preserve daily CCTV footage in a pendrive and submit it to the Deputy Superintendent of Police for safekeeping.
Justice Shirsat further directed that additional rules be framed to fix accountability for officers violating inspection norms. He remarked that โsome stringent measures are the need of the hourโ and emphasized the importance of deterrent action to prevent recurrence.
In the context of Chandu Patilโs alleged threatening calls, the court directed that call data records (CDRs), CCTV footage, and cell tower locations be examined for the relevant date and time. It observed that a mere show-cause notice would not suffice.
โThe soft punishment for such activities emboldens the jail inmates,โ the court remarked, indicating that a tougher stance was necessary.
The court has sought a detailed response from the jail administration by January 20, 2026, and cautioned that further inaction could result in deeper judicial scrutiny. โSome swift, comprehensive, remedial and stringent measures are required,โ the order concluded.
