A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has cautioned a jail warden after viewing CCTV footage of a June 26 incident in which he hit inmates with a stick, holding that beating inmates after the situation was under control was unnecessary and impermissible, and has directed medical care for an appellant in the case who could not afford surgery for a fracture.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has cautioned a jail warden that using unnecessary violence on inmates is absolutely impermissible, after viewing CCTV footage placed on record by the Jail Superintendent that showed him hitting inmates with a danda (thick stick) during and after a quarrel in an open area of the jail complex on June 26, 2026 [Ashish alias Vicky v. State of NCT of Delhi].
A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Dinesh Bhatt passed the order on September 23, 2026 on Crl.M.A. 20774/2026 in Crl.A. 1562/2025. The warden was present in Court, and the order says he unconditionally apologised and expressed regret. This is a short interim order, and the Court did not set out what the application had sought.
What the footage showed
The Bench recorded that the footage, from about 9.15 am on June 26, 2026, shows a quarrel among ten to twelve inmates in an open area of the jail complex, and that the warden, Sagar, used a stick to hit the inmates to make them disperse. The inmates then went into separate cells. Some time later, the order says, the warden came back with more staff, brought the inmates out of their cells and again began hitting them with the stick, which in the Court’s opinion was completely unnecessary and uncalled for.
There is no audio in the footage. The warden told the Court that the inmates were abusing him. The Court held that even if that was so, hitting inmates who had dispersed and returned to their cells was unnecessary, since none of them was armed when they came out.
The dispute over weapons
The Additional Public Prosecutor doubted that the inmates were unarmed. He said, on the warden’s instructions, that the inmates were found in possession of a knife and a suwa (needle). The Court noted that the footage does not show any threat from the inmates to the warden on the second occasion, and reiterated that the use of violence and beating after the situation had been brought under control was totally unnecessary.
The caution
The Court cautioned the warden that unnecessary beating or violence against inmates cannot be resorted to and is absolutely impermissible, and that if such conduct is repeated, it will not hesitate to take stern action. The Bench recorded the warden’s unconditional apology and regret. No other action was taken against him in this order.
The appellant’s treatment
On the appeal itself, the appellant’s counsel told the Court that the appellant would surrender the same day. The Court noted from a status report that the appellant does not have enough money for surgery for a fracture. It directed that he be examined by the jail’s medical officer, and that any further treatment he needs be provided in a government hospital. The order does not say how the fracture was caused, and it does not link it to the June 26 incident.
The application was disposed of, the status report handed over in Court was taken on record, and the appeal, Crl.A. 1562/2025, was listed for consideration on December 15, 2026.
Why it matters
The order shows the Court looking at CCTV footage itself and drawing a line between force used to end a fight and force used after order is restored. It records that even abuse by inmates, and a claim that they had a knife and a needle, did not justify beating them once they had returned to their cells and posed no visible threat in the footage.
The findings are on what the Court saw in the footage at the interim stage. The order does not record any inquiry into the incident, and the appeal against the appellant’s conviction is still pending.
Case Title: Ashish alias Vicky v. State of NCT of Delhi [Crl.A. 1562/2025 and Crl.M.A. 20774/2026]
Bench: Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Dinesh Bhatt, Delhi High Court
Date of Order: September 23, 2026
Appearances: Advocates Hemant Gulati, Bharat Kashyap, Shobit Dimri and Divyam Gaur appeared for the appellant, and Additional Public Prosecutor Ritesh Kumar Bahri, with Advocates Divya Yadav and Lalit Luthra, appeared for the State.