The Allahabad High Court has sought an explanation from the Director General, Prison Administration & Reforms Services, Uttar Pradesh, over the alleged custodial death of a prisoner in District Jail, Bijnor.

The Court said that it is a "matter of serious concern" that an admitted death in custody has been met with "no satisfactory explanation" from the State.

A Bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Tarun Saxena directed the Director General to file a short counter-affidavit explaining the circumstances in which the petitioner's son died inside the jail premises.

The Court passed the direction while hearing a writ petition concerning the death of Deepak Kumar, who, according to the petition, died in custody on May 10, 2026, just two days after the High Court had granted him bail.

The High Court has directed the Director General to file the counter-affidavit within 10 days, failing which he has been directed to remain personally present before the Court.

Case in brief

As per the petition, Deepak Kumar had been convicted on February 18, 2025 for offences under Sections 394 and 411 IPC and Section 3/25 of the Arms Act. He was sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment along with fine.

The petition states that he subsequently challenged the conviction and sought suspension of sentence and bail. A Single Judge of the High Court granted him bail on May 8, 2026.

However, according to the petition, Deepak died in District Jail, Bijnor, on May 10, 2026, i.e., two days after the bail order.

The petition further states that Deepak's wife visited the jail on May 9, a day after the bail order, and informed the jail authorities about the grant of bail. It is alleged that during the visit, Deepak expressed an apprehension of a threat to his life.

The petitioner claims that on May 10 at around 1:25 PM, his wife received a call informing her that Deepak had died.

According to the petition, she was allegedly informed that Deepak had died by hanging from a tree in the hospital premises of the jail.

In the petition, the family members of the deceased have also sought CCTV footage and photographs relating to the circumstances surrounding Deepak's death.

The petitioner's case is that despite the circumstances in which the death occurred, no satisfactory explanation has been provided regarding how Deepak died while remaining in custody.

Against this backdrop, the Court has directed the Director General, Prison Administration & Reforms Services, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, to file a short counter-affidavit within 10 days specifically stating the circumstances in which the petitioner's son died in the jail premises.

The Court further directed that if the counter-affidavit is not filed within the stipulated period, the Director General shall remain personally present before the Court.

The matter has been listed for October 7, 2026.