Recently, the Supreme Court granted bail to Narendra Meena, the former Deputy Superintendent of Tihar Jail, who was accused in connection with the custodial death of 29-year-old undertrial prisoner and gangster Ankit Gujjar.

A bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal overturned the Delhi High Court's decision denying bail to Narendra Meena.  

According to case records, Ankit Gujjar was discovered dead inside Tihar Jail on August 4, 2021. Allegations suggest that Meena, along with other jail officials, brutally assaulted Gujjar on August 3, 2021, and subsequently failed to provide him with medical attention, which resulted in his death within the jail premises. It is further alleged that the accused were harassing Gujjar to extort money from his relatives.

Following the incident, four officials, including Narendra Meena, were suspended by the Director General of Prisons (DGP). The suspended officials included two assistant superintendents and one warden. Meena was subsequently chargesheeted under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

Narendra Meena approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail, citing delays in the trial by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, on September 26, 2024, the High Court rejected his bail plea, considering the nature and seriousness of the offences, as well as the potential risk of him influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.

In response to a plea filed by Ankit Gujjar's mother, a coordinate bench of the Delhi High Court transferred the investigation from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain of the Delhi High Court noted that there was no evidence on record to suggest that any delay in the trial was attributable to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had taken over the probe following a judicial order in September 2021.

The High Court observed: "The post-mortem report reflects multiple ante mortem injuries on body of UTP Ankit Gujjar. The trial court in impugned order also observed that the petitioner tried to influence witnesses and larger interest of the society has to be given preference over the liberty of the accused."

Case Details: NARENDER MEENA v CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION., Diary No. 45425-2024

Appearances: Senior Advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan, Sr. Adv., Advocates Gaurav Gupta, Deepanshu Choithan, Siddharth Dewalwar, Rajesh Kumar, and AOR Gaurav Goel