In a shocking case of bureaucratic negligence, a man in Gujarat, who had been granted bail, found himself languishing in jail for an additional three years simply because jail authorities failed to open an email attachment containing his bail order. The Gujarat High Court has now ordered the state government to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation to the victim of this egregious error.
The ordeal began in 2020 when the court had suspended the man’s life sentence in a murder case and granted him bail. However, despite the court’s ruling, the individual, Chandanji Takor, remained incarcerated because the prison authorities failed to take the necessary action due to their inability to access the emailed bail order attachment.
“It is not the case that such email was not received by the jail authorities. It is the case of the jail authorities that necessary action could not be taken in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, and though they have received the email, they were unable to open the attachment,” the court stated.
The 27-year-old man, whose life was needlessly disrupted by this grave oversight, could have regained his freedom if the jail authorities had promptly acted on the court’s decision. The Gujarat High Court, in response to this shocking incident, issued a stern rebuke, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
“The applicant, though was released and could have enjoyed his freedom, was forced to remain in jail only because no attention was paid by the jail authorities to contact the Registry or Sessions Court with regard to the order passed by this Court,” the court remarked.
Labeling the case as an “eye-opener,” the bench held the jail authorities accountable for their negligence and ordered the Gujarat government to provide ₹1 lakh in compensation to the victim within 14 days.
“The man is aged about 27 years and he has already undergone, as per the jail remarks, more than 5 years. Hence, in the interest of justice and in order to see that the applicant is appropriately compensated for the negligence of the jail authorities, due to which he was constrained to remain in jail,” the court’s order concluded.
This shocking incident highlights the need for streamlined communication and administrative procedures within the justice system to prevent such grave miscarriages of justice.
Sources By Agencies
