Court notice to govt over delayed hiring of prison law officer

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to Delhi govt and the director general of prisons, Delhi, regarding an application seeking the revival of a contempt petition over the recruitment of law officers for city prisons. The petition, filed by advocate Amit Sahni, claims the authorities didn't comply with the court's directions to complete the recruitment of law officers on a contractual basis for Delhi prisons. The single-judge bench of Justice Vikas Mahajan scheduled the next hearing for May 9.The plea was previously disposed of following Delhi govt's submission that 16 law officers were appointed on contract as an interim arrangement, and the process of creating regular posts was underway. However, despite the lapse of considerable time, these directions remain unimplemented, Sahni pointed out in the petition.The plea seeking the revival of the contempt case in connection with the alleged abrupt termination of ad hoc law officers across Delhi's prison system states that this act amounts to wilful disobedience of the court's specific directives issued on Sept 27, 2019. The petitioner argues that the discontinuation of these temporary appointments, without the creation of corresponding regular posts, demonstrates clear contempt of court.The court had directed the authorities to complete the recruitment of law officers for Delhi's jails, preferably within 12 weeks of receiving the order. When these directions were not acted upon within the stipulated period, Sahni initiated contempt proceedings. The court disposed it of on Dec 21, 2021 after the authorities' submission.However, the current plea states that despite the passage of more than five years since the initial order, and over three years since the contempt case was closed, no genuine steps have been taken to regularise the posts of law officers. On the contrary, the ad hoc appointments themselves have now been withdrawn.The plea mentions an order dated April 2, 2025, issued by the office of the director general (prisons), Delhi govt, which abruptly ended even the temporary engagement of law graduates fulfilling the role of law officers. It states that this latest development is yet another instance of wilful disobedience of the high court's directions.