Inquiry ordered into allegations of torture of inmates in Theni jail

Seventeen inmates escaped from a jail in Theni district, amid allegations that the escape was caused by torture and ill-treatment by jail warders, including the denial of food and drinking water facilities. Justice S.M. Subramaniam, the most senior judge of the Madras High Court and Executive Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA), has ordered an inquiry into these serious allegations.

In compliance with this directive, S. Balakrishnan, Member Secretary of TNSLSA, has instructed the Chairperson of the Theni District Legal Services Authority to visit the Theni District Jail and investigate these allegations. Additionally, instructions have been given to ensure that the 17 remand prisoners, who were subsequently apprehended, were not intimidated or coerced when they raised complaints regarding ill-treatment.

TNSLSA has also directed the Chairpersons of the District Legal Services Authorities of Kudaloor, Madurai, Salem, and Tirunelveli to visit the central jails located in their respective areas. They are required to visit the jails where these inmates were kept after being caught by the police and interact with them. During this process, interactions with the inmates must be conducted in the absence of jail officials to ascertain whether they were beaten, intimidated, or tortured.

The Chairpersons have also been directed to verify whether the inmates sustained injuries and, if so, whether they received medical treatment. If officials find that inmates were beaten, they must record the nature of injuries, names of the alleged perpetrators, date, location, type of assault, and names of witnesses. Furthermore, any other violations of fundamental rights and jail rules must also be noted.

After providing facilities to assist the concerned inmates using the legal aid clinics operating within the jail, the Chairpersons must submit their reports to the TNSLSA by or before 16 November, 2026.

These allegations of human rights violations surfaced when a video of one of the 17 escaped inmates went viral. In this video, the inmate was complaining about the torture being carried out in the jail. This video is said to have been recorded before all 17 escaped inmates were re-arrested by the police. Following an extensive search operation by the police, all 17 inmates were re-arrested and sent back to jail on 26 October, 2026, within 42 hours of the escape. Following the Theni jailbreak, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has constituted a high-level committee to strengthen jail security.