DG Prisons post vacant after SBK Singh’s retirement

The post of Director General (DG) of Prisons in Delhi has fallen vacant following the retirement of SBK Singh. The DG (Prisons) post is considered one of the most sensitive assignments in the national capital, given the scale and complexity of Delhi’s prison system, which includes Tihar Jail, Rohini Jail and Mandoli Jail.

The prisons house over 19,000 undertrial and convicted inmates, including high-profile prisoners, making leadership continuity critical for security and administrative efficiency. Senior IPS officer Shashi Bhushan Kumar Singh of the 1988 batch, who was heading Tihar Prisons, retired from service on January 31.

He had briefly served as the Delhi Police Commissioner on additional charge for 21 days since July 31, following which he had been appointed Director General (Prisons), Delhi, overseeing Tihar Jail.

No official notification announcing his successor has been issued so far. The sources maintained that the delay in issuing the notification is part of the usual administrative process and a decision is likely to be announced soon. The names of several senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are doing the rounds for the top position, official sources said.

They indicated that officers with prior experience in prison administration, policing and intelligence are among the frontrunners, though no final decision has been communicated by the competent authority. Among of the IPS officers being considered are Special Commission of Police (Law and Order), Ravindra Singh Yadav of the 1995 batch, 1993- batch officer Special Commissioner of Police Robin Hibu, Special CP Rajesh Khurana of the 1994 batch and Special CP Traffic Neeraj Thakur.