Bengaluru, Nov. 3 -- A week after 17 undertrial prisoners escaped from a sub jail in Theni district of Tamil Nadu and were subsequently caught and brought back to custody by the police, the state legal services authority on Monday ordered an investigation into allegations of torture, assault and intimidation involving the 17 inmates. It will also be ascertained whether prison officials prevented them from raising complaints to the jail authorities.

The Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) gave directions to the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) in five districts across the state.

Justice SM Subramaniam, a sitting judge of the Madras High Court and the executive chairman of TNSLSA also instructed the chairperson of...