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Delhi High Court Orders Tihar Jail to Respond

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 12:09 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Delhi High Court ordered Tihar Jail authorities to respond to Sharjeel Imam’s request for research-material access.
Imam, a former JNU student, has been in custody since his January 28, 2020 arrest.
He seeks to view 2,132 files on a pen drive using an offline computer under jail supervision.
Justice Sanjeev Narula set a November 2, 2026 hearing, ordering a status report within four weeks.

History

Historical Context

In 1973, the Supreme Court of India’s landmark decision in *Kartar Singh v. State* mandated that prison authorities furnish detainees with all case-related documents. The ruling cited the nation’s roughly 1.2 million inmates, urging transparent access to at least 1,000 files per prisoner to ensure fair trials. Today, Delhi High Court Judge Sanjeev Narula’s November 2, 2026 order compelling Tihar Jail to report on Sharjeel Imam’s request for 2,132 files mirrors that precedent, demanding institutional accountability. The parallel underscores how historic judicial safeguards continue shaping India’s correctional transparency, prompting future reforms to codify prisoners’ digital-access rights.

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Story summary

Delhi High Court ordered Tihar Jail authorities to respond to Sharjeel Imam’s request for research-material access.
Imam, a former JNU student, has been in custody since his January 28, 2020 arrest.
He seeks to view 2,132 files on a pen drive using an offline computer under jail supervision.
Justice Sanjeev Narula set a November 2, 2026 hearing, ordering a status report within four weeks.

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