Punjab’s prison system is under fresh scrutiny after Ludhiana Central Jail’s additional superintendent was suspended over allegations that he ran a cash-for-comfort racket inside the facility, according to a TOI report.
Balvir Singh is accused of pocketing bribes ranging from Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 4 lakh from 11 undertrials booked in GST fraud cases, in exchange for shifting them out of general wards and into superior barracks with better living conditions. The report said the money changed hands over an extended period before the matter came to light.
Balvir Singh now faces charges under sections 7 and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Section 52-A of the Prisons Act, all of which deal with abuse of official position for illegal gratification. The action against him followed a formal inquiry ordered after the prison department lodged a complaint. AIG headquarters Rajesh Kumar carried out the investigation that eventually led to the suspension order being issued, the report noted.
The order itself was unambiguous about the gravity of the case. “In view of the seriousness of the allegations and the disciplinary proceeding contemplated against him, Balvir Singh is placed under suspension with immediate effect,” it stated. Superintendent Kulwant Singh Sidhu was cited in the report as confirming that an FIR had been registered before the suspension came through, though he said he could not offer further details since he had been on leave when it happened.
A police officer aware of the case said the complaint named all 11 individuals and detailed the varying sums each of them was alleged to have paid Singh in cash. Attempt were reportedly made by TOI to reach Balvir Singh for his version of events, but his phone remained switched off.
This is not the first time Ludhiana Central Jail has come under the scanner for internal corruption and lapses in discipline. The report pointed out that the facility has seen a string of similar controversies over the past few years, ranging from smuggling rackets to staff misconduct.
On July 1, 2025, a deputy jail superintendent at the same prison was suspended for chronic absenteeism after he repeatedly skipped duty and failed to appear before a medical board despite being summoned. Around the same period, another deputy superintendent was suspended on separate charges of insubordination, approving unauthorised leave and issuing official identification documents improperly, the report added.
A warder at the jail was also suspended after he was caught trying to smuggle 60 grams of cannabis inside the premises, as per the report.
The jail’s troubles go back further still. On June 26, 2021, an assistant jail superintendent, a head warder and a warder were suspended after an inquiry into video footage that showed inmates smoking a hookah inside the facility. An officer who was in charge of the cells at the time was transferred as part of the same action, according to the report.
In January 2024, the jail made headlines again after 10 to 15 inmates were found to have thrown a birthday party inside their barracks. A video of the celebration was recorded and uploaded online, where it quickly went viral. The report said the inmate at the centre of the celebration, undertrial Arun Kumar alias “Mani Rana”, was booked in a 2019 robbery case.
That episode eventually led investigators to a larger racket. Two deputy superintendents were arrested after it emerged that they too had taken bribes, this time to help smuggle mobile phones and other contraband into the jail.
