New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha (RS) Member of Parliament (MP) Sandeep Kumar Pathak on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that the refusal of the Jail authorities to deny him permission for physically ‘mulakat’ with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar jail was arbitrary, illegal and completely unjustified.
Not in favour of allowing Pathak facility of physical ‘mulakat’ with Kejriwal in view of his past conduct: Jail authorities
The jail authorities told Justice Neena Bansal Krishna that it is not in favour of allowing the AAP Rajya Sabha MP the facility of physical “mulakat” with the Delhi Chief Minister in view of his past conduct of deliberately violating the prison consideration and speaking to media on his deliberations with Kejriwal.
Pathak has moved High Court against jail administration’s refusal to grant him permission for meeting with Kejriwal
Pathak has moved the High Court against the jail administration’s refusal to grant him permission for meeting with Kejriwal and has sought a direction to the prison authorities to allow him the right of physical visitation and interview with Kejriwal.
Kejriwal is currently lodged in judicial custody in Tihar Jail in excise policy cases
Kejriwal is currently lodged in judicial custody in Tihar Jail in cases related to alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy.
Pathak was earlier permitted to meet Kejriwal in jail but was later denied permission
Pathak was permitted by the jail authorities twice in April to meet Kejriwal but he was denied permission by the jail authorities this time for meeting with Kejriwal on the ground that he misused the mulakat facility by making statements against the jail administration and has issued political statements after his physical interview, which is in violation of Rule 587 of Delhi Prison Rules, 2018.
News agency PTI reported that some of the statements made by Pathak, as claimed by the jail administration, after visiting Kejriwal in jail are – “Kejriwal is CM and will remain the CM and if needed he will run the government from inside the jail” and “From next week onwards, the CM will call two ministers to jail every week, there he will review their departments and give them guidelines and directions”.
The High Court heard the part arguments made by parties on Wednesday and asked the jail administration to place on record the order by which Pathak was stopped from meeting Kejriwal and listed the matter for further proceedings on Thursday.
