Tihar Jail being shifted: Delhi govt’s relocation plan | Famous inmates of South Asia’s largest prison

Tihar jail being shifted: Tihar Jail, the largest prison complex in South Asia, is set to be relocated to national capital's outskirts. In her Budget speech on March 25, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced plans to shift Tihar Jail to the city's outskirts.

The chief minister, who is also Delhi's finance minister, set aside ₹10 crore in the 2025-26 Budget for survey and consultancy services related to the shifting of the jail.

"In order to decongest the existing Tihar Jail Complex for the welfare of prisoners, a new scheme for development of a new Jail Complex by shifting the existing Tihar Jail Complex to some other location has been formulated," the Delhi chief minister said while presenting the budget in the assembly.

Gupta tabled the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) government's ₹1 lakh crore budget for this financial year. The BJP returned to power in Delhi after a gap of 27 years in the assembly elections in February.

What is the history of Tihar Jail?

Established in 1958, Tihar Jail, officially known as Tihar Prisions, was originally supposed to be a small prison in Tihar village near Delhi. The idea was to accommodate convicts from the Delhi region, as the jail infrastructure at that time was inadequate. The jail functioned under the administrative control of Punjab despite being geographically located in Delhi.

In 1966, the administrative control of Tihar Jail was transferred from Punjab to the Delhi administration. Over the years, Tihar jail witnessed expansion with an increasing population of inmates. As the crime rate increased, Tihar was plagued by overcrowding.

Today, Tihar is one of India’s largest prison complexes, comprising nine prisons spread over more than 400 acres – one prison in Rohini and six prisons in Mandoli.

Located in West Delhi, Tihar is close to Tilak Nagar and Hari Nagar areas of the city. Originally designed to house approximately 10,025 inmates, it currently accommodates over 19,000, leading to overcrowding and security challenges. The Delhi government has initiated the development of new prison complexes in Narela to alleviate congestion.

Who were the ‘infamous’ inmates?

Tihar jail has housed the country's most high-profile criminals, political figures, and activists. AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendar Jain, were imprisoned in Tihar jail in connection with the Delhi Liquor Policy case.

Gangster Chhota Rajan, once a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim, was also held in Tihar for crimes including murder. Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav served a 14-year sentence for the fodder scam, and international serial killer Charles Sobhraj was imprisoned in Tihar before escaping and then again arrested from Goa.

Black Warrant on Tihar Jail

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Afzal Guru, and Kashmiri separatist Maqbool Bhat, both of whom were executed in Tihar, are other prominent examples. Anti-graft activist Anna Hazare, businessman Subrata Roy, and Olympian wrestler Sushil Kumar are among other famous Tihar jail inmates.

Recently, the Netflix series Black Warrant, a crime drama thriller based on the book of the same name, explored the harsh realities of Tihar Jail through the eyes of a jailer. Zahan Kapoor portrayed Sunil Kumar Gupta, a novice jailer at Tihar, in the series.

Where will Tihar Jail be shifted?

"We had also asked for space in Baprola, but due to encroachment, we couldn't get that. However, we have written to the Delhi government to provide 100 acres of land somewhere else," a source from Tihar jail told news agency PTI.

Jail Numbers 1 to 9 are designed to house approximately 5,000 inmates, but these accommodate over 12,000 prisoners at present, the source said.

"Jail Number 10 to 16 are designed to house approximately 3,700 inmates, but currently accommodate over 3,900 inmates. Jail Number 4 in Tihar and 12 in Mandoli Jail are known as 'Mulaija Jail' which means first-time offenders. We have a large number of inmates in these two jails,” said the source.

The chief minister also announced the formation of a society under the aegis of the Delhi Jail in the budget.

The society will focus on the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners. It will achieve this by developing their overall skills through various skill-imparting programs. Additionally, the society will professionalise the functioning of different factories and manufacturing units within the jails. However, CM Rekha Gupta did not revealed any date of the shifting plans.

Delhi government offices, ministries and departments will also give preference in procurement to products manufactured in the jail complexes of Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli.