Barrack No. 12 of the Mumbai Central Prison, better known as Arthur Road jail, is once again in the spotlight after its photographs – with plush indoors, tiled bathrooms, and natural light – were submitted to the Belgian authorities by India amid the bid to extradite fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, wanted in the Punjab National Bank case.
In the argument opposing his extradition, Choksi had claimed that the conditions in India’s prisons are “poor”. The same argument was previously raised by fugitive offenders Nirav Modi, who is wanted in the same case, and Vijay Mallya, while facing a similar predicament in the Kingfisher Airlines loan default case.
The submissions claimed that there is no natural light or fresh air in the country’s jails, that they are overcrowded much beyond their capacity, and, therefore, failed to meet human rights standards. The Indian authorities countered the claims stating that they were “excuses” to avoid extradition to face criminal charges. In cases where the accused are to be lodged in Mumbai, the authorities have been submitting photographs of Barrack Number 12 at Arthur Road jail.
Tight-security ‘anda’ cells, high-profile prisoners
The jail itself was one of the earliest prisons in the country, established in 1926 by the British. Spread over six acres, there are over 20 barracks, which have separate cells within them. The capacity of the prison is just about enough to hold 1,000 prisoners, but it usually has over 3,000 inmates.
The barracks include high-security spaces, called ‘anda’ cells for their construction in an egg-like shape. These anda cells were used to keep high-profile prisoners, or those in need of more security, including those accused in the 1993 Bombay serial blasts case.
After the arrest of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab for the November 26, 2008, terrorist attack in Mumbai – also known as the 26/11 attack – a separate structure was constructed to keep him in solitary confinement in a high-security space, away from the main prison barracks for safety. This ground-plus-one structure has been expanded with other barracks installed to house high-security prisoners since.
After Kasab was executed in 2012, the building, called Barrack No. 12, was upgraded further, and has since been used to house multiple prisoners, including political leaders, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, and NCP’s Nawab Malik, all of who were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in separate cases; former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea, who was in jail from 2015 to 2020 for allegedly murdering Sheena Bora; HDIL promoters Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, accused in the alleged PMC bank fraud case; and others.
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Cells in Barrack No. 12 have attached bathrooms, plasma TV
The structure has eight cells on each floor, with attached bathrooms; inmates are provided with a mattress, pillow and bedsheets, along with melamine crockery. In the submissions made before the Belgian authorities, photographs and videos of these cells have been provided.
They show a well-ventilated barrack, with three large windows on either side for cross ventilation, ceiling fans, clean toilets, and a plasma TV in the cell. The Belgian authorities have been informed that the cell also has a long corridor outside, where prisoners can take a walk at specific timings.
Similar submissions were made in previous extradition proceedings, including in the case of Mallya, when the British judge, while ordering his extradition in 2018, had expressed satisfaction about the cell in which Mallya was proposed to be lodged. The extradition process is still pending. In Nirav Modi’s case as well, in 2020, his lawyers had submitted to the UK authorities that Arthur Road jail is an “old-fashioned sweatbox”. His extradition process too continues to remain pending.
