‘Shocks conscience’: High Court flags phones, charging points inside Goa’s Colvale jail

Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has said that it “shocks the conscience” that mobile charging points were installed inside the Central Jail at Colvale in North Goa without the knowledge and consent of the prison authorities.

In a recent order, Justice Shreeram V Shirsat took cognisance of the smuggling of mobile phones and contraband into the jail premises and asked prison officials to install a robust jammer network.

The HC gave the directions while hearing a petition against Chandu Patil, who is in jail for allegedly murdering a child. Patil allegedly had called up the victim’s family from the jail, issuing them veiled threats.

“Some swift, comprehensive, remedial and stringent measures are required to be taken by the jail authorities to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future,” the judge said.

The court order, which has sought a reply from the jail administration on January 20, 2026, has also pointed out that several cells inside the jail have mobile charging points, which “further shocks the conscience”.

“It is not obscure as to why the charging points are installed there,” the order said.

The court said it has come across similar incidents where, apart from drugs, mobile phones were smuggled into jail premises. However, it appears that despite mobile phones having been found inside the jail earlier, no concrete steps have been taken to prevent such incidents, said the judge.

“Merely taking action against one jail inmate who is found possessing the mobile or contraband will not be a definitive solution, but one needs to go to the root of the matter,” the judge said.

The HC said it was proceeding on the assumption that signal jamming systems are not installed in the jail. It is time the authorities addressed this issue with the seriousness it warrants, the judge said.

The court said it failed to understand how mobile phones could be slipped in so easily, particularly when the jail authorities conduct regular inspections.

“Is it that the inspection is superficial and just an eye wash or that a deliberate slack inspection is done at the entry point so that the mobile phones find their way inside the jail premises seamlessly,” the judge asked.

The court stressed that some accountability must be fixed, considering that such incidents are happening at regular intervals. “Some stringent measures are the need of the hour,” it said.

Referring to Chandu Patil, the HC said a mere show-cause notice won’t do. Call data records (CDRs), CCTV footage, and cell tower locations of the relevant date and time must be ascertained, it said.

“The soft punishment for such activities emboldens the jail inmates…,” the judge said.

The HC said that the deputy superintendent or superintendent of the jail must ensure that robust phone jammers or cellular inspection systems are installed forthwith, with their operation restricted strictly to jail premises so that residents in the vicinity are not affected.

It has also directed that additional rules be framed to fix accountability for personnel found violating inspection norms at the checking counter.

It further ruled that CCTV cameras be installed at the inspection counter during the entry of inmates, if not already in place, and that the personal search of inmates entering jail premises be conducted under CCTV surveillance. CCTV coverage has also been mandated for Mulaqat (meeting) areas, along with daily inspection of jail cells.

The daily CCTV footage should be preserved in a pendrive and submitted to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, who shall keep it in safe custody, the court ruled.