New Delhi: After a series of video leaks led to Satyendar Jain facing allegations of special treatment in Tihar jail, the Delhi minister on Wednesday urged a court to restrain the media from running any footage from inside his prison cell.
Special Judge Vikas Dhull issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities on Jain’s plea and directed the prison officials to file their reply by Thursday, when the court will hear the matter.
Jain told the court that despite Tuesday’s hearing on the leak of videos of him from jail, another clip was leaked this morning.
The Enforcement Directorate had affirmed before the court on Tuesday it had no role in leaking the videos of Jain, including the one where he was seen receiving a massage from another prisoner inside his prison cell.
Fresh videos of the jailed minister emerged again on Wednesday where he is seen eating uncooked vegetables and fruits in his Tihar jail cell. The videos surfaced days after he moved a city court alleging he is not being provided raw food according to his religious beliefs.
“They have taken a particular day and particular time and shown some major thing is going on in jail. Please test everything. We are not running away. Today one release, tomorrow another release,” senior advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for Jain, told the court.
The court had on November 17 denied bail to Jain and two others in the case.
The federal anti-money laundering agency had arrested Jain in a case based on a CBI FIR lodged against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Jain is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.
Fresh videos leaked on Wednesday showed Jain eating uncooked vegetables and fruits in his jail cell.
The AAP is already facing flak over videos of the minister getting massages inside the prison. There was no immediate reaction to the fresh videos by the party.
The party had said Jain was undergoing physiotherapy for a spinal injury he sustained after falling in jail.
A Delhi court had on Tuesday sought the ED’s response to a plea by Jain seeking a direction to Tihar officials to provide him food items like fruits, dry fruits and dates as per his religious beliefs as he was observing a fast.
The petition, filed on Monday, claimed the jail administration had stopped providing him with basic food that is partaken under his religion for the last 12 days.
“The CCTV footage from Jain’s cell in Tihar negates his claims of not getting proper food in jail. He has been getting the food of his choice, including fruits and dry fruits, as the video shows,” news agency PTI quoted an unnamed source as saying. This source also contradicted the claim made by Jain’s lawyers that the AAP leader had lost 28 kg during his time in jail. In fact, he has gained 8 kg, the source told PTI