The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Tihar Jail authorities to file a response to a plea by AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who claims he was unjustly denied a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, currently incarcerated in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna has given the jail authorities three days to respond and has scheduled the next hearing for September 9. During the hearing, Singh’s lawyer, senior advocate Rahul Mehra, argued that despite being a Rajya Sabha MP, Singh was refused a meeting on the basis of being an ex-prisoner, a classification he contends is being misused under the current circumstances.
Mehra highlighted the urgency of the meeting due to Kejriwal’s serious medical conditions, emphasizing the family’s need to assess his well-being. He criticized the jail superintendent’s handling of the situation, describing it as indicative of a “shocking state of affairs.”
The legal team for the jail authorities requested a week to prepare their response, but the court granted only three days. This legal move by Singh follows a similar plea by another AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Sandeep Kumar Pathak, who had earlier been allowed to meet Kejriwal twice in April. Subsequent permissions were denied, with the jail authorities citing Pathak’s politically motivated statements post-meeting as being in contravention of prison rules.
