In Brief
A life-imprisoned gangster challenged his transfer from one state jail to another, claiming violation of natural justice. The High Court quashed the transfer, relying on his character certificate and prior decisions favoring undertrial prisoners. The Supreme Court reversed this, holding that prison officials have lawful power to transfer convicts on security grounds. The Court distinguished between undertrial and convict prisoners, finding the transfer justified by gang war threats and insufficient security personnel. While a prisoner's fundamental rights persist, they are not absolute and yield to prison discipline and safety needs. The Court restored the transfer and directed Jharkhand to strengthen prison administration under the 2016 Model Prison Manual.
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