Delhi’s 16 prisons will receive 840 video-conferencing systems under a reported ₹38-crore investment that could reduce the need to transport prisoners to courts and save the Delhi Police around ₹15 crore every month, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi.
The systems will allow prisoners to appear before courts from inside prison facilities in cases where physical presence is not required. The equipment will be installed according to the needs of individual jails, with the stated objective of reducing prisoner movement, security exposure and the operational burden on police teams.
At present, the Delhi Police’s Third Battalion is responsible for taking prisoners to court, maintaining security during hearings and bringing them back to jail. The process requires prison vans, escort personnel and, depending on the number of prisoners and the sensitivity of cases, additional security deployment.
The proposed video-conferencing arrangement is expected to reduce the monthly payments associated with these movements. The report said the savings could be used to improve prison facilities and support prisoner welfare, including the modernisation of prison-run factories, upgrades to machinery and better working facilities.
Additional resources could also be directed towards health, education, skill development and rehabilitation activities inside the prisons. The report linked the investment to the possibility of expanding opportunities for prisoners to learn skills and participate in work-related programmes, although the specific allocation and implementation schedule were not provided.
Reducing the movement of prison vans could also lower fuel consumption and ease the pressure created by escorted prisoner travel on Delhi’s roads. It may reduce the risk of delays caused by traffic congestion, which can affect court appearances, while limiting the exposure involved in moving prisoners between jails and court complexes.
The existing transport system carries several security challenges, including the possibility of escape attempts, attacks or the movement of prohibited items during transit. Video hearings are intended to reduce these risks, but the report noted that prisoners whose physical presence is legally required will continue to be taken to court under the existing security arrangements.
The report did not specify the installation timeline, the technology procurement process or the institutions responsible for operating and maintaining the systems. Those details, along with the categories of hearings eligible for video production, will determine how extensively the new arrangement changes Delhi’s prison and court-transport operations.
