Jharkhand High Court seeks report on alleged sexual assault of female inmate in Ranchi Jail

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday (May 22, 2026) took suo motu cognizance of the alleged sexual assault of a female inmate on the premises of Birsa Munda Central Jail. A bench comprising Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay and Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava converted the matter into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) and the state government to submit a detailed report within two weeks.

The matter will be discussed further on June 8.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi wrote a letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren raising the issue of alleged sexual exploitation by a jail warden which resulted in a woman becoming pregnant.

“This public interest litigation was registered on the basis of some news reports and also a letter addressed by the Leader of the Opposition to the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court in which some disturbing facts have come to light regarding the sexual abuse of an inmate of Birsa Munda Central Jail, Hotwar, by the Jail Warden,” it said, adding that she had become pregnant, including attempts to terminate the foetus.

The court also expressed concern over alleged attempts to cover up the matter, noting that reports pointed to the perpetrators as well as senior officials trying to cover up the incident. It noted that an issue of such gravity – where a prisoner welfare officer is accused of becoming an offender – requires a thorough and satisfactory explanation from the state. The bench sought a detailed explanation of the steps taken to verify the veracity of the allegations.

During the hearing, the state government informed the court that the Home Ministry had constituted a three-member inquiry committee comprising Director (Administration) Manoj Kumar, Assistant Prison Inspector Tushar Ranjan Gupta and Probation Officer Chandramouli Singh of the Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services to investigate the matter.

The court was also informed that an investigation team from the District Legal Services Authority (DALSA), Ranchi, has already visited the jail to record the statements of the victim and the judicial inquiry is being conducted by Judicial Magistrate Shruti Soren, Ranchi. A separate inquiry is also being conducted by Sudharshan Prasad Mandal, Inspector General of Prisons.

In a letter to the Jharkhand Chief Minister on Thursday (May 21, 2026), Mr. Marandi alleged that instead of taking action against the culprits, the entire police machinery was engaged in a quick cover-up of the incident and concealment of evidence.

“Prisoners have for years been in the habit of grossly exploiting women by abusing their authority and rank. This is not an ordinary case, rather it is an organized institutional crime involving the use of the authority of a government office to intimidate, suppress and destroy women’s lives. The woman was subjected to years of physical and psychological abuse,” Mr. Marandi said in the letter.

Published – 22 May 2026 22:11 IST