Showers, western-style toilets: Tihar jail preps barracks as govt pushes to extradite Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi

Jail wardens and other staff have also been sensitised on how to deal with such prisoners, the official said.

Written by Alok Singh

New Delhi | Updated: November 10, 2025 10:17 AM IST

3 min read

Showers, western-style toilets: Tihar prepares for fugitives’ extradition

British Crown Prosecution Service officials visited Tihar in July to assess its condition. (File Photo)

Bathing showers, Western-style toilets, wash basins and tiled bathrooms. Two special barracks inside Delhi’s Tihar Jail have been upgraded with a slew of facilities to accommodate “around 20” fugitive economic offenders.

The upgrade comes after a team from the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) visited Tihar to assess the condition of inmates as well as security within the prison premises in July. The visit came in the backdrop of the Government’s efforts to secure the extradition of fugitive economic offenders such as liquor baron Vijay Mallya, diamond trader Nirav Modi, and UK-based arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari. British courts had recently pointed to concerns over the condition of prisons in India while hearing the extradition cases.

According to Tihar Jail sources, the two special barracks, each with a capacity to accommodate 10 inmates, are inside Jail No. 7 — a dedicated facility for white-collar criminals. “These barracks are equipped with windows for ventilation and surrounded by greenery. Keeping their security in view, the barracks have been set up separately from the other prisoners in the jail,” an official said.

Jail wardens and other staff have also been sensitised on how to deal with such prisoners, the official said.

According to officials, most jails in Tihar are equipped with Indian-style toilets. There are no showers. Such facilities are provided to inmates based on their medical conditions, but only on the advice of doctors.

The official said Tihar has modified these barracks in accordance with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners to ensure safety, security and human dignity. These rules have been universally acknowledged as the blueprint for prison management since 2015, another official said. “Bathing showers, Western-style toilets, wash basins, and tiled bathrooms have been installed in the washrooms of the barracks,” the official said.

The ceilings of the barracks are 12 feet high and well-ventilated, with nets installed to prevent mosquitoes and other insects from entering, the official said, adding that the Tihar administration, under the supervision of the Union Home Ministry, has handled the preparation and informed officials of the UK Embassy. “They are free to inspect it in person, or, if they prefer, they can view the entire preparation through video conferencing,” the official said.

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When contacted by The Indian Express, Director General of Delhi Prisons (Tihar), S B K Singh, confirmed the upgrade and said further legal procedures for the approval of these barracks are underway.

On July 16, the CPS team, comprising four officials, visited Tihar’s Jail No. 4, where they inspected high-security wards and interacted with inmates.

In recent years, reports of gang wars, murders, and attacks by inmates on fellow prisoners inside Tihar have raised questions about the security of prisoners within the facility. In 2023, two high-profile gangsters, Tillu Tajpuria and Prince Tewatia, were killed in the prison by rival gangs.

Delhi Prisons has 16 jails, including Rohini and Mandoli. They house over 19,000 inmates — about double the sanctioned capacity.

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