In the day and age of Netflix, understanding aspects of the United States (US) prison system is relatively easy, with recordings and transcripts of trials available to documentary filmmakers. The Indian prisons system, in comparison, remains quite opaque, with the exception of events such as a custodial death of a high profile criminal, celebrity arrests or custodial torture. Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhary through Black Warrant provide a rare peek into Asia's largest prison complex, Tihar Jail.
This is Sunil Gupta’s first book, a memoir of his time as a jailer at Tihar Jail. He worked in Tihar Jail for 35 years, and thereafter as an advocate in the High Court and Supreme Court of India. Educated in law, he was a rare type of jailer at Tihar Jail. Sunetra Choudhary is an award winning journalist, who has worked in leading print and television media houses in India, such as Indian Express, Hindustan Times and NDTV. This is her third book, her previous book Behind Bars covered VIP inmates in Indian prisons. While Behind Bars covered prisons from the perspective of the inmates, Black Warrant is told from the perspective of the jailer. “Black warrants” are the notices that are issued to indicate the place and time of execution of the death penalty. The name derives from the black borders of the notice. Black warrants are issued when all avenues of mercy are exhausted.
At 178 pages, Black Warrant is a quick, easy and gripping read. It is an honest personal account of a jailer and a crash-course into the rich, famous and most controversial prisoners of India. It spans crimes of bombing the parliament, assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, international serial killers and more. Some of the famous names covered in the book are Charles Sobhraj, Afzal Guru, Manu Sharma, Subrata Ray, Satwant and Kehar Singh.
The tagline of Black Warrant, “Confessions of a Tihar Jailer” holds true and does not disappoint. The book provides an insider view of Tihar, which is nearly impossible to access through other mediums. Among other things, this book provides the details of the eight hangings that Gupta witnessed during his tenure. It covers the backstories of the eight convicted persons, although this information is also available online. What makes the book unique is that it throws light on some of the inside proceedings, loopholes, process lapses as well as a detailed discussion of the technicalities of a hanging. In parts this is quite graphic.
Beyond the details of the hangings the book provides an alternative, humanistic view on some of the prisoners. The reader is able to see them through Gupta’s eyes as a person beyond the crime, expressed through his own interactions with them or their behaviour in the jail. Gupta speaks about reform being the responsibility of jails and jailers and sees viewing the prisoners as humans as a key part of reform. The book also lays bare the discriminatory implementation of the justice system, often based on the economic status of the prisoner. Money can buy most things, even within Tihar Jail - from air conditioners to comfortable beds, food from hotels, women and more. Money can also, unfortunately, determine the length of your prison sentence, because it determines the legal expertise at your disposal. Black Warrant gives the reader a rare honest view from a government official of the corruption that is deep seated across all levels of the prison governing system.
The book shares some controversial confessions of procedural lapses and corruption leading to a travesty of justice. One example is that of Koli and his employer Pandher. They were both found guilty of the rape and murder of a 14-year-old child. The well-off employer Pandher was later acquitted, while the poor housekeeper Koli was hanged. Such stories show how the practice violates the fundamental right of equality before the law. Other examples show that closeness to politicians can have a similar effect as money, and can lead to differences in how the same policy is applied. Political connections or a lack thereof could mean that protocols are not followed in providing notice to the prisoner or families before the hanging or that some prisoners are allowed to have two minor boys in their cell for “company”. This systemic corruption leads to gross violations on the watch of those meant to be custodians of reformation.
In parts, the book leaves readers wanting more. It brushes over jailer excesses and beating that have been rumoured as well as reported, but in the book are mentioned casually and in passing. The violence between inmates as well as by jailers is an open secret, yet the book does not spend much time on this and does not treat it too seriously. The book mentions shocking statistics, like that 50% of young offenders have been sexually abused in jails, but the focus is less on the abuse and more on the cover-up and corruption. The book is able to humanize the prisoners but demonizes the corrupt officials. Understanding the jailers’ motivations for corruption would have made this book even more comprehensive as an insider view. There are also interesting anecdotes squeezed into the last two chapters but which are not coherent with the rest of the book.
The honesty in this book is refreshing. It is rare to have an insider put such information in the public domain. It provides a step forward in a quest to understand the Indian prison system and provides fodder for further research into its corruption and injustices.
Venil is a development professional from India. She has experience in Education, Ed-tech and Employability. She has worked in startups and nonprofits like Teach For India. She has a Masters in Biochemistry and is passionate about justice and equity.