Why Delhi wants to shift Tihar, India's largest prison complex
- Raj Shekhar Jha
- TNNUpdated: Apr 12, 2025, 18:55 IST IST
Behind the walls of Tihar Jail in west Delhi, India’s largest prison complex, lies a world of contradictions. It is a place where hope and despair coexist, where rehabilitation and retribution entwine, where the boundaries between freedom and captivity blur. Within, the stories of 13,000 inmates crammed into a space meant for 5,000, testify to the complexities of India’s criminal justice system.
Jail life is a complexity marked by cramped accommodation, security concerns and poor living conditions. It is against this background that Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, in her budget speech on March 25, proposed relocating the central jail to a new place, preferably the city’s outskirts. She even allocated Rs 10 crore for the survey and consultancy services related to such a shift.
Jail life is a complexity marked by cramped accommodation, security concerns and poor living conditions. It is against this background that Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, in her budget speech on March 25, proposed relocating the central jail to a new place, preferably the city’s outskirts. She even allocated Rs 10 crore for the survey and consultancy services related to such a shift.
