``Invoking provisions of Article 311 of the Constitution, we have dismissed Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) V N Davne and Superintendent V M Durge, while another superintendent Ram Jadhav has been suspended with immediate effect,'' Chief Minister Narayan Rane said after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

While Davne is in Nagpur, Durge is Superintendent at the Aurangabad Central Jail and Jadhav is at the helm of affairs of the Nashik Central Prison, which is almost a second home to the gangsters.

Rane said his Government also took a policy decision to utilise services of retired soldiers and Indian Police Service (IPS) for the posts of jail superintendents and other official posts since there are several vacancies in these posts in the State.

Secondly, Rane said henceforth there will be acomplete ban on delivery of home food or tiffin boxes to jail inmates. However, the decision will not be applicable to political prisons and also in such cases, where the court has given specific instructions.

Replying to a question, Rane said the erring officials miserably failed in their duty to prohibit supply of cell-phones and illegal items to the prisoners.

The action follows Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde's surprise visit to the Nashik Central Jail on November 4, accompanied by Director General of Police Arvind Inamdar wherein he found several prisoners having cell-phones and other special facilities like toilets.

When the jail officials failed to submit an explanation on the ongoing discrepancies, Munde asked Inamdar to conduct a high-level inquiry into the illegal activities inside the jail.

In his brief report, Inamdar fixed the responsibility on Davne and Durge for their alleged nexus with the criminals. Significantly, though Inamdar had submitted his report immediately, for obviouspolitical reasons, no action was taken against the erring officials.

The action was hastened when Rane too thought of paying a surprise visit to the Nashik Jail following specific information on the activities of the jailed gangsters. When informed that a report on the same issue was already with the Government, Rane questioned the failure of the Home Department to take the erring officials to task.

Though Rane did not find any incriminating evidence, he specifically told the jail officials, particularly T S Singarwel, Additional Director General (Prisons) on the nexus between jail officials and criminals lodged in jail.

On his return from Nashik, Rane asked the Chief Secretary to process Inamdar's report and place it before the Cabinet for appropriate action. The Cabinet today unanimously approved the proposed moved by Rane to dismiss the erring officials.

``We are not surprised at the action recommended by the Government. However, we failed to understand as to why the stringent action was taken onthe last day of his term,'' a senior government official asked.