Ranchi: Jharkhand High Court suspended jailer of Birsa Munda Central Jail Chandra Shekhar Prasad Suman on Friday for not cooperating with a high-level advocates' committee sent for inspection and directed IG (prison) to conduct an inquiry.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Amitav Kumar Gupta issued the order on Monday in the presence of the jailer who had been summoned while hearing a PIL instituted suo motu on a Supreme Court directive on the condition of inmates lodged in Jharkhand jails.

The bench had formed the committee, comprising advocates Atanu Banerjee, Richa Sanchita, Rishi Pallava and Kumar Sundaram, in January to inspect five jails of the state.

Accordingly, the committee visited Central Jail, Medininagar (Daltonganj), Lok Jai Prakash Narayan Central Jail in Hazaribag, Ghagidih Central Jail in Jamshedpur, Central Jail, Dumka, and Birsa Munda Central Jail, Hotwar in Ranchi.

In its report, the committee said the condition of the jails was satisfactory. However, there was overcrowding in Dumka and Medininagar jails. It said the infrastructure was fine, but there was staff shortage.

But the committee also told the court that it felt a "lack of cooperation" by jailer Suman at Birsa Munda Central Jail.

It said he refused to hand over keys of cells meant for VIP prisoners. The case will again be heard again on July 17.