3 Banda jail officials booked for illegal release of gangster

Lucknow: In a major action against the prison administration following the release of notorious gangster Ravindra Nagar alias Ravi Singh alias Ravi Kana from Banda District Jail without any court order or prior intimation to the concerned court, an FIR has been registered against three jail officials, who were also found guilty in a departmental inquiry.According to official records, the FIR was lodged at Kotwali Nagar police station on the complaint of Jail Chowki In-charge sub-inspector Anurag Pandey. The case has been registered under Section 260(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The departmental inquiry was conducted by DIG (Prisons), Prayagraj Range, Rajesh Srivastava. The inquiry found three senior prison officials—Banda Jail Superintendent Anil Kumar Gautam, Jailor Vikram Singh and Deputy Jailor Nirbhay Singh—guilty of serious misconduct and procedural violations. While the superintendent was held responsible for supervisory negligence, the jailor and deputy jailor were identified as primarily responsible for the illegal release. Following the preliminary findings, Jailor Vikram Singh was first placed under suspension, followed by the suspension of the jail superintendent and the deputy jailor. The DIG has submitted his detailed inquiry report to the prisons headquarters, where preparations are underway to initiate strict departmental action against the erring officers. Ravi Kana, a resident of Dadupur under Dankaur police station in Gautam Budh Nagar, was lodged in Banda District Jail in connection with Case Crime No. 20/2026 registered at Sector-63 police station in Noida under Sections 308(5), 351(2) and 3(5) of the BNS. A valid B-warrant issued by a Gautam Budh Nagar court in an extortion case had been formally submitted to the Banda jail authorities. On Jan 29, 2026, the accused was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar, through video conferencing from Banda jail. However, police allege that just hours after the virtual court appearance, the jail administration illegally released Ravi Kana from custody without any written court order and without informing the court. The release drew strong objections from the court, following which immediate action was initiated. Taking the matter seriously, SP Banda Palash Bansal constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the ASP to probe the circumstances surrounding the release. "This is a highly sensitive matter. Every procedural and administrative aspect is being examined to determine individual responsibility and any possible criminal conspiracy," the SP said. Meanwhile, Banda police have formally registered the criminal case against the three officials, and the SIT has intensified its investigation. Officials said the team is examining documentary, technical and circumstantial evidence and is likely to summon the accused officers for questioning in the coming days to ascertain criminal liability. Authorities have indicated that both departmental and criminal proceedings will be pursued simultaneously, and stringent action will be taken against those found responsible for the illegal release of the gangster.