Mangaluru jail jammer row: Senior Advocate Manoraj Rajeeva urges scientific assessment, not political blame

Mangaluru (Karnataka): The controversy over the mobile signal jammer installed at Mangaluru Central Prison should be resolved through a scientific and technical assessment rather than political blame, said advocate Manoraj Rajeeva, Chairman of the Legal, Human Rights and RTI Department of the Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee.

Speaking to reporters here, Rajeeva said prison security and preventing unauthorised mobile-phone use inside prisons were essential. However, legitimate users of mobile services—including courts, advocates, students, educational institutions, businesses and the public—should not suffer because of signal interference outside the prison.

He pointed out that the Mangaluru Bar Association has approached the Karnataka High Court in W.P. No. 13624/2025 over the alleged interference. During the proceedings, the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) examined the issue and technical concerns regarding signals extending beyond the prison premises were recorded. Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), a wholly owned Government of India undertaking, was subsequently involved in optimisation of the jammer.

Rajeeva said TCIL later undertook corrective measures and placed its compliance before the High Court through the Central Government counsel, with the matter now awaiting orders. He said this demonstrated that the issue involved the Central Government’s technical and regulatory agencies and could not simply be reduced to a political dispute between the State Government and its opponents.

“If connectivity problems continue, a fresh joint inspection by the Department of Telecommunications, WMO, TCIL, prison authorities and telecom operators should establish the actual cause,” he said.

The inspection, he added, should measure the jammer’s permitted and actual range, output power, frequency bands, antenna configuration and signal strength at the prison boundary, District Court and surrounding institutions, while separately examining the coverage and capacity of each telecom operator.

“If the jammer is exceeding its permitted range, correct it. If telecom infrastructure is inadequate, strengthen it. If there are gaps in prison security, address them. Responsibility should be fixed only on the basis of technical evidence,” Rajeeva said.

He also questioned the continued recovery of unauthorised mobile phones inside prisons and said a jammer should not become a substitute for physical security, scanning, surveillance and effective prison administration.

Rajeeva said the High Court should remain the appropriate forum for resolving the issue and suggested that the proposed State Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru could instead be used to raise broader concerns of the legal fraternity, including judicial infrastructure, court facilities, advocates’ chambers and an advocates’ bhavan.

“Prison security and public connectivity can both be protected. Let the competent technical agencies find the technical solution and end the political blame game,” he said.

Mr. Manoraj Rajeev also pointed out that, after wireless monitoring committee noted transgression by jammer beyond prison limits the High Court had directed TCIL,the central government instrumentality ,who is also responsible for installing and maintaining Mangalore jail jammer The central government council has reported to the honourable High Court in December 20 25. All the defects has been set right and the problem is resolved and in this regard, memo has been filed and no objections to this memo has been filed by any of the contesting parties. That means one who is opposing today had agreed with the central government department that the problem of jammer has been resolved.