Mumbai Central Jail: What Makes Barrack No 12 The Most High-Profile Cell In India

Barrack Number 12 in the Mumbai Central Jail, popularly known as the Arthur Road Prison is getting another face-lift and a new coat of paint. There is buzz that this is being done as there could be another VIP prisoner shortly in one of the cells in the Barrack. Known as the housing facility for high-profile prisoners who face a threat to their lives or who could pose a threat to others, the new activity in Barrack Number 12 is being attributed to the probable extradition of either former owner of the UB Group Vijay Mallya, diamantaire Nirav Modi or Mehul Choksi who is the owner of the Gitanjali Group which had 4000 retail jewellery stores across India. 

With the Enforcement Directorate on an arresting spree, there is also talk that the next inmate of Barrack Number 12 could be a high-profile prisoner. This barrack had received two earlier upgrades when the extradition cases of Mallya and Modi were heard at different points of time in different courts in England. This is the third upgrade in less than five years, said prison sources.     

Barrack Number 12 offers the greatest luxury that one cannot find in Mumbai – space. Housed in a ground plus one structure, the barrack is separated from the rest of the jail by a very high wall. There are eight cells on each floor. The 15 feet by 20 feet cells in this barrack houses a single prisoner in each of its cells. Each cell has a fan, tube light and a ventilator to allow in fresh air and a window for natural light. Barrack Number 12 has a 38.5 metre area for exercise and a 17.5 metre buffer zone around it which is a walking area, said a prison official to Outlook. Each cell has an attached western style toilet, washing area, and a courtyard. 

It is isolated from the other prisoners’ barracks, has natural light and ventilation, a western style attached toilet and a 40-inch LED TV set. The VIP inmates of this cell are given a mattress, pillow and bedsheets. They are served food in melamine crockery consisting of glass, plate and two bowls for meals and water. They are also given melamine spoons. The high-profile prisoners lodged here have access to the jail library and newspapers, said sources. This Barrack has one main door, three windows and five upper ventilators. For the security, police personnel are deployed round the clock inside and outside the barrack. CCTV cameras keep track of the movements of the prisoners in this Barrack. There are two watch towers for the all-round security of the barrack. Barrack Number 12 is guarded from both the sides and is surrounded by a steel structure.      

Life in Barrack Number 12 is very different from that in the other barracks. Meals are served four times a day in an area earmarked for congregation. Inmates here get their first cup of tea at 7 a.m. followed by breakfast a little later, lunch at 11 a.m., evening tea at 4 p.m. and dinner is served between 8 p.m. and 8.30 p.m.      

Barrack number 12 got a serious upgrade from the jail authorities in Mumbai during the extradition trial of Kingfisher’s former owner Vijay Mallya in London.

The international embarrassment of Mallya’s lawyer telling the court in London that given the state of the Indian jails, lodging him in one of them would “violate his human rights”. There was talk that if he was extradited Mallya would be lodged at Barrack Number 12 of the Arthur Road Prison. Mallya is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering to the tune of Rs 9000 crore. 
In 2020, this barrack got another facelift after the lawyers of diamantaire Nirav Modi opposed India’s request for extradition stating that the prisons in India were over-crowded and lacked basic facilities. Modi’s lawyers had then referred to the Indian jails as “old fashioned sweatboxes”. They pointed out that the Arthur Road Prison was made of stone, shielded in a steel structure and was a veritable oven. Modi is lodged at Her Majesty’s prison Wandsworth, which is one of the most crowded prisons in England. 

The high-profile prisoners of Barrack Number 12 include former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, former Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik and Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. The latest VIP prisoner to join this jail space, Raut is undertrial number 8959. Arrested on August 1, in the Patra Chawl financial irregularities case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been kept in the separate barrack due to security reasons. He is guarded by prison guards round the clock. The court has allowed Raut, the Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP, to receive homecooked food at the prison. He has also been provided with newspapers and some books for reading. He spends his days in the jail library, reading newspapers and watching news on the big LED TV that gives a special edge to this barrack.

Malik has been admitted to a hospital since the past three months and is undergoing treatment for a host of ailments. During his stay at this Barrack, he was permitted homecooked meals. However, Deshmukh who is facing charges of bribery and extortion from bar owners has been denied the facility of homecooked meals by the court. 

The other VIP prisoners who have occupied the cells of Barrack Number 12 include actor Sanjay Dutt who was lodged here when he was undergoing his sentence in the 1993 Bombay Bomb Blasts case. Before being moved to the Anda cell in another part of the Arthur Road prison, Ajmal Kasab – the terrorist who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 along with others – was lodged in this barrack for a brief period. Former media moghul Peter Mukherjea, who is now out on bail and is facing trial in the murder of his step-daughter Sheena Bora, Vipul Ambani – president (Finance) of Nirav Modi’s Firestar International was lodged here for his alleged role in the Rs 13,578 crore fraud in the Punjab National Bank case. Former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and his nephew Samir Bhujbal are former inmates of Barrack Number 12. 
(EOM)