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Chief Minister Rekha Gupta: Working towards shifting Tihar Jail out of Delhi

"Ease of living cannot be achieved unless ease of justice is fulfilled. That is why we are focusing on creating more courtrooms and court complexes, strengthening fast-track courts, and working towards shifting Tihar Jail out of Delhi," Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 16, 2025 06:45 AM IST

A statement issued by the CMO after CM Rekha Gupta chaired a review meeting of the Delhi Jal Board stated that the project suffered delays due to repeated tender cancellations, funding issues and “negligence of the previous government” (File)

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday said her government is planning to relocate Tihar Jail to the city’s outskirts to alleviate overcrowding and improve prison conditions.

Addressing the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF), Gupta emphasised that justice delivery is central to governance, adding that her government is working to expand judicial infrastructure and strengthen fast-track courts to improve access to justice.

“Ease of living cannot be achieved unless ease of justice is fulfilled. That is why we are focusing on creating more courtrooms and court complexes, strengthening fast-track courts, and working towards shifting Tihar Jail out of Delhi,” she said.

The Tihar Jail is designed to hold 10,026 prisoners but currently houses over 19,500 inmates.

Gupta was speaking at the launch of the SILF Mediation Centre, aimed at promoting alternative dispute resolution and reducing the growing burden on courts.

Maintaining that improving judicial infrastructure remained a priority for the Delhi government, Gupta said that access to justice was closely linked to one’s quality of life. She highlighted legal reforms undertaken at the national level, noting that after the Modi government came to power, hundreds of obsolete laws were repealed and nearly 1,500 statutes removed to simplify the legal framework and reduce procedural hurdles.

Additional court blocks and courtrooms are being built to address pendency and capacity constraints, she added.

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SILF president Dr Lalit Bhasin, meanwhile, said the organisation has completed a new building on Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg with dedicated facilities for online arbitration and mediation.

“We have just completed our new building on Deendayal Upadhyaya Marg, where we have earmarked dedicated areas for online arbitration, aimed at significantly reducing the cost of arbitration, and for mediation and settlement of disputes – a pro bono initiative.”

The centre will offer free, non-litigation advisory services to help people explore settlements over prolonged litigation, he added.

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