2025:CGHC:59369-DB NAFR HIGH COURT OF CHHATTISGARH AT BILASPUR WPCR No. 618 of 2025 Shantanu Joshi S/o Shri Shail Joshi Aged About 36 Years R/o Village -

Manki, Police Station - Lormi, District - Mungeli Chhattisgarh ... Petitioner versus

1 - State of Chhattisgarh Through The Secretary, Home (Jail)

Department, Mantralaya, Mahanadi Bhawan, Raipur Chhattisgarh

2 - The Director General Of Prisons And Correctional Services Chhattisgarh, Head Quarter - Prisons And Correctional Services Chhattisgarh, Raipur Chhattisgarh

3 - The Jail Superintendent Central Jail Bilaspur Chhattisgarh

4 - The Teacher Central Jail Bilaspur Chhattisgarh ... Respondents (Cause-title taken from Case Information System)

For Petitioner : Mr. Rishi Rahul Soni, Advocate For State/Respondents : Mr. S.S. Baghel, Deputy Government Advocate Hon'ble Shri Ramesh Sinha, Chief Justice Hon'ble Shri Bibhu Datta Guru, Judge

Order on Board

Per Ramesh Sinha , Chief Justice

08.12.2025

1. Heard Mr. Rishi Rahul Soni, learned counsel for the petitioner and Mr. Shaleen Singh Baghel, learned Deputy Government Digitally signed by BRIJMOHAN BRIJMOHAN MORLE MORLE Date:

2025.12.08 Advocate, appearing for the State/respondents.

+0530

2. The present petition has been filed by the petitioner with the following relief(s):-

“10.1 The Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to call for the entire records pertaining to this case from possession of the respondents for it's kind perusal;

10.2 The Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to issue suitable writ, order or direction and quash/ set-anide the decision of the Jail Authority (as reflected in the information dated 24.10.2025 prepared by the respondent no. 4 under the Right to Information Act 2005) in rejecting the prayer preferred on behalf of the petitioner for his admission in LL.B. Course;

10.3 The Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to issue a suitable writ, order or direction commanding the respondents to make suitable arrangement for admission & study of the petitioner in LL.B. Course; and

10.4 Any other relief, which this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper, may also be passed in favour of the petitioner.”

3. Brief facts of the case, in a nutshell are that the petitioner is a convicted prisoner presently lodged in the Central Jail, Bilaspur (C.G.). He was convicted by the Learned Sessions Judge, Mungeli, District Mungeli (C.G.) in Sessions Case No. 09/2017 vide judgment dated 07.03.2020 for offences under Sections 120- B and 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. He was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seven years with fine of Rs.1,000/- (and three months’ simple imprisonment in default) for the offence under Section 120-B IPC, and to undergo life imprisonment with fine of Rs.1,000/- (and three months’ simple imprisonment in default) for the offence under Section 302 IPC, with both sentences directed to run concurrently.

4. Being aggrieved by the aforesaid judgment of conviction and sentence, the petitioner preferred Criminal Appeal No. 448/2020, which came to be dismissed by the Hon’ble High Court vide judgment dated 20.06.2023. The petitioner has been in judicial custody since 11.09.2016 and continues to undergo the sentence imposed against him.

5. During his incarceration in Central Jail, Bilaspur, the petitioner pursued and successfully completed B.A. Part-I (2023), Part-II (2024) and Part-III (2025) examinations. After completion of graduation, the petitioner expressed his desire to pursue the LL.B. course and sought permission to attend classes either in physical mode or through online/virtual mode. A similar request was also made by the petitioner’s mother before the jail authorities.

However, no action was taken.

6. Subsequently, in response to an RTI application filed by the petitioner’s counsel, the Public Information Officer, Assistant Jail Superintendent, Central Jail Bilaspur, furnished information dated 24.10.2025 stating that the petitioner’s application for admission in the LL.B. course had been closed (nastibaddha) due to the