Inside Delhi’s Tihar Prison Complex, construction crews are working around the clock to finish two new high-security wards – designed not for hardened local criminals, but for white-collar fugitives the Indian government is seeking to extradite back to the country. The wards, expected to be ready within 10 days, are being built in jail numbers 4 and 7 to house high-profile economic offenders whose extradition has long been stalled by concerns over Indian prison conditions, according to two officials familiar with the matter.
The move comes after officials from Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) inspected Tihar in September to assess whether the facility could meet the standards required to house extradited individuals.
Officials said the new wards are being constructed to comply with global human rights benchmarks such as the “United Nations’ Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners”, known better as the “Nelson Mandela Rules”. These rules mandate adequate space, ventilation, lighting, sanitation, and access to hygiene facilities.
Indian authorities believe the new wards will address objections raised by international courts in in the recent past. For instance, Britain’s Westminster Court ordered London-based arms middleman Sanjay Bhandari’s extradition to India in November 2022, but Bhandari successfully challenged this in the UK High Court. In February, the court, while blocking his extradition, ruled that Bhandari “would be at real risk of extortion, torture or violence in Tihar jail from other prisoners or prison officials.”
Similar human rights concerns have slowed proceedings against other fugitives, including diamantaire Nirav Modi.
The two wards, which together will accommodate around 20-22 inmates, will have dedicated wash areas, toilets, and sleeping spaces. Unlike Tihar’s existing barracks, which use Indian-style toilets and have limited lighting, the new facilities will feature English WCs, larger windows to improve ventilation and natural light, and tiled washrooms to maintain hygiene, the people cited above said. Each prisoner will have personal storage racks, a wash basin, tiled bathrooms for hygiene, and a shower with running water – none of which are available to the other 20,000 inmates at Tihar.
The ward in Jail 4 will have cells – up to three inmates can be housed in each of the four cells – while the ward in Jail 7 will have barracks with a maximum capacity of up to 10 inmates, said one of the officials cited above.
Ceiling fans, tube lights, and mosquito-netted windows will be standard, along with round-the-clock water supply and twice-daily distribution of drinking water, the people cited above said. The wards will also be equipped with CCTV cameras and mobile jammers to prevent unauthorised communication.
“The wards are being built to international standards to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements set out under the Nelson Mandela Rules,” said a senior prison official.
The Delhi Prison Department is working under the Union ministry of home affairs’ (MHA) directive to upgrade facilities and align them with global custodial norms. The MHA intervention followed criticisms and claims made in foreign courts, which have cited substandard conditions while hearing extradition pleas. Officials said the new wards are being closely monitored by multiple agencies and are expected to be ready for use within 10 days.
Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the Mandela Rules underscore humane treatment of prisoners, ensuring they live in “clean, adequately ventilated cells with sufficient light and access to medical care.” Compliance with these norms, Indian officials said, will help strengthen the country’s case in pending extradition requests, particularly with the UK.
On October 16, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Praveen Sood had said that a total of 388 extradition requests from India are pending with various countries.
Among the most prominent fugitives wanted by Indian authorities are former liquor baron Vijay Mallya and jeweller Nirav Modi, both based in Britain; Mehul Choksi in Belgium; Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia; industrialists Chetan and Nitin Sandesara in Nigeria; underworld don Iqbal Mirchi’s family in the UK; Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US; and gangster Goldy Brar in Canada.
Tihar, Asia’s largest prison complex, currently houses nearly 20,000 inmates – around double its official capacity. The new units in jails 4 and 7, one of the officials cited above said, will function as segregated, high-standard enclosures exclusively for extradited or foreign-returned inmates, separate from the general prison population.
A similar facility has been prepared in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail. Last week, authorities in Mumbai are reported to have presented the photographs of the facility before a Belgian court as part of assurance of humane detention conditions for fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi.
