Tihar Jail

Convicts, undertrials released during Covid return to jail after SC order

The inmates who were granted emergency bail or parole during the COVID-19 pandemic queued outside Tihar prison here on Friday to surrender before the authorities following the apex court's direction. Bajrang Saini, who came to drop off his two brothers who were arrested in a murder case in Delhi's Kirti Nagar, said, My brothers were arrested in a murder case around five-year-ago. They came out of the jail in 2021 and since then they have been doing private jobs. "We are hoping that the case will end in the near future, and they will be able to start their life afresh. We know that they are not criminals. They committed the crime in anger," Saini said. The Supreme Court on March 24 directed that all convicts and UTP, who were released during the COVID-19 pandemic in a move to decongest jails, to surrender within 15 days. The Delhi prisons department said that a total of 128 undertrial prisoners (UTP) and convicts returned to jail in the last 10 days, from March 27 to April 5. Among

You can trouble me by putting me in jail but cannot break spirit: Sisodia

Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has sent a message from the Tihar jail, saying imprisonment may pose difficulties for him but it cannot break his spirit. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) too earlier this week. "Saheb, you can trouble me by putting me in jail, but you cannot break my spirit. The British rulers also troubled the freedom fighters but their spirits did not break -- Manish Sisodia's message from jail," read a tweet in Hindi from the AAP leader's official Twitter handle. Sisodia tendered his resignation from the Delhi Cabinet following his arrest by the CBI.

Delhi excise policy: ED questions Manish Sisodia second time in Tihar

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday began the second round of questioning of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at the Tihar Jail here in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, officials said. The federal probe agency had recorded the statement of the 51-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for the first time on March 7 for about five hours. Sisodia is currently lodged in judicial custody after the CBI arrested him on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22. The ED obtained a local court's permission to question the politician, who till recently was the deputy CM of Delhi, in the cell number 1 of the jail. The agency is expected to question him about the alleged change and destruction of cellphones that were in his possession and the policy decisions and the timeline followed by him as the excise ..

Sisodia refused Vipassana cell in Tihar jail: AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj

AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday alleged that party leader Manish Sisodia is being kept with other inmates in jail and has been refused the Vipassana' cell. There was a request for Manish Sisodia to be kept in the vipasana cell of the jail and the same was approved by the court. Despite the court's approval, Sisodia has been kept with criminals in jail number 1. The Centre must give the answer, Bharadwaj said. Sisodia, the former Delhi deputy chief minister and an accused in the excise policy scam, is lodged in a Tihar prison cell for senior citizens. Officials had earlier said that Sisodia will be lodged inside Tihar Jail Number-1 which is meant for a single person who is a senior citizen. The court had allowed the senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to carry the Bhagavad Gita, spectacles and medicines to jail, and directed the Tihar authorities to consider his request to be allowed to do Vipassana meditation.

Excise case: ED questions Sisodia in Tihar Jail; another bizman arrested

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tuesday questioned and recorded the statement of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the excise policy matter, official sources said. The federal probe agency also made a fresh arrest in this case as it took into custody Hyderabad-based liquor businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai on Monday evening, they said. The ED investigators reached the Tihar Jail to record the statement of Sisodia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The CBI had arrested Sisodia on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22. He is lodged in judicial custody till March 20. The ED obtained the court's permission to question the 51-year-old Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who till recently was the deputy CM of Delhi, in the cell number 1 of the jail for three days. The agency is

Excise case: ED to question Manish Sisodia in Tihar Jail, says report

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday is expected to question and record the statement of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy, official sources said. The federal probe agency also made a fresh arrest in this case as it took into custody Hyderabad-based liquor businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, they said. Officials of the ED will reach the Tihar Jail around noon to record the statement of Sisodia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in this case last month and he is currently in judicial custody. Pillai was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday evening following a long session of questioning. The businessman, alleged to to have represented the 'Soith Group' of liquor traders in this case, is the 11th person to be arrested in the case by the ED. He will be produced before a

Delhi excise policy case: Manish Sisodia sent to Tihar till March 20

Meanwhile, the AAP said the CBI had no grounds to seek Sisodia's further interrogation in the excise policy case

CBI interrogates Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail in Delhi excise policy case

The CBI interrogated Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in Tihar Jail here in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The counsel said the investigation agency had moved an application before Special Judge M K Nagpal last Friday in this regard, and the same was allowed. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) quizzed the politician on Monday following the court order, advocate Mohd Irshad said. Jain is currently lodged in Tihar jail in connection with a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He, however, is not an accused in the excise scam case. The counsel said the CBI also quizzed AAP's communication in-charge Vijay Nair, who is also lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with the excise policy-money laundering case. Nair was earlier granted bail in the excise scam. The ED, had in its supplementary charge sheet, stated that the investigation done under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) so far has revealed

Phones, knives, drugs recovered from inmates after surprise raids in Tihar

Mobile phones and knives were recovered from inside Delhi's Tihar Jail number 3 in a search operation, jail authorities said on Thursday

Court directs jail authorities to give calling facility to Sharjeel, Umar

Karkardooma Court directed the Tihar jail authorities to provide a phone calling facility thrice a week for 5 minutes to 7 minutes to accused including Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid

Tihar officials accuse Satyendar Jain of intimidation, lodge complaint: Rpt

Top officials of Tihar Jail here have accused minister Satyendar Jain of threatening and intimidating them and complained against him to the Director-General (Prisons), sources said on Thursday. Jain has been in jail since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in connection with a money laundering case. Purported videos of him getting massages and meeting visitors inside the jail had created a furore with the opposition demanding his removal from Cabinet. Sources said the Additional Inspector General - Prisons (Tihar Jail), Superintendent of Jail No. 07 (SCJ-7), Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and the Law Officer complained to the Director-General (Prisons) that Jain had been "abusing them and threatening them with dire consequences once he gets out of the prison". "Jain has been blatantly intimidating these officers and others for their acts trying to prevent him from availing facilities of massage, lavish food and other VIP treatments that came t

NHRC issues notice to Delhi govt over reports of sexual assault in Tihar

The NHRC has issued notices to the Delhi government and the director general of Prisons over reports that a prisoner was sexually assaulted by fellow inmates in Tihar Jail, officials said on Monday. The National Human Rights Commission has also decided to send its own team for an on-spot inquiry in the case, they said. The NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports carried on December 30 that a 22-year-old prisoner was allegedly sexually assaulted by fellow inmates at Tihar Jail, the rights panel said in a statement. Reportedly, the prisoner is under medical treatment, it said. The contents of the media reports, if true, amount to the violation of the victim's right to life and dignity, the NHRC said. According to the notices issued to the chief secretary of Delhi and the director general of Prisons, the commission has sought a detailed report in the matter within four weeks. The report should include the present health status of the victim, action taken against the erri

Umar Khalid released on bail from Tihar jail to attend sister's marriage

Student activist Umar Khalid was released from Tihar Jail on Friday after he was granted seven-day interim bail by the court to attend his sister's marriage, said a prison official

Tihar Prisons DG Sandeep Goel suspended after conman Sukesh's allegations

Senior IPS officer and former director general of Tihar Prisons Sandeep Goel has been suspended by the Union Home Ministry for alleged dereliction of duties, officials said here on Thursday. Goel, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was removed as the head of Delhi's Tihar Prisons last month and attached to the Delhi Police headquarters. He has been suspended by the home minister for "dereliction" of duties during his tenure as DG of Tihar, a ministry official said. No specific reason has been cited in the suspension order. Goel was removed from the post after alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar made sensational claims that he had paid Rs 12.5 crore to the officer as "protection money" for his safety in Mandoli Jail, where he is lodged in connection with a Rs 200-crore money laundering case. Chandrasekhar also claimed in his letter to the lieutenant governor of Delhi that he had paid more than Rs 50 crore to the city's ruling AAP for an "important" post in the party

Jain was given preferential treatment inside Tihar, rightly stopped: Court

A Delhi court on Saturday said AAP minister Satyendar Jain was prime facie being given "preferential treatment" inside Tihar jail in violation of rules, which has now been stopped. Special judge Vikas Dhull made the observation while dismissing Jain's plea, which sought direction to Tihar officials to provide him special food items according to his religious beliefs. The court noted that fruits and vegetables were being provided to Jain by the jail staff, without there being any order of DG Prison or any authority, which was in violation of the rules. "Providing fruits and vegetables to the applicant was in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India as State is bound to treat all the prisoners equally and there can be no discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, sex, religion, status etc. "The Article provides for Equality before Law, which basically means that all persons should be treated equally no matter whether they are poor or rich, male or female, upper caste or

Their education model made 'rapist' a 'therapist': Nadda takes jibe at AAP

BJP President said, "They have even arranged massage inside the jail. They have worked so well in the education sector that they made a 'rapist' a 'therapist'. Manish Sisodia should be ashamed"

Not a country where one is told how to follow religion: Satyendar Jain

Jailed Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendar Kumar Jain on Thursday told a Delhi court that "we're not a country where we are told how to follow a religion". Jain made the submission during the hearing of his application, in which he has alleged that the Tihar jail administration had stopped giving him the food allowed "as per law" during his religious fast. *He was arrested in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) based on a CBI FIR lodged against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.* "At least right now we're not a country where we are told how to follow a religion. State is nobody to tell how to follow. My religion is my religion," Jain's counsel Rahul Mehra told Special Judge Vikas Dhull while reading the relevant rules on fast on religious beliefs inside jails. During the arguments, Mehra also accused authorities of being "petty". "State should be large hearted not petty. They can provide the four nuts that are prescribed and fruits and ...

Influential people get all kinds of favours: Ex-law officer of Tihar Jail

Amid a row over videos purportedly showing Delhi minister Satyendar Jain getting "massages" in his prison cell, a former law officer of Tihar Jail has claimed that such "illegal" practices were "normal" there and he knew of sexual favours being arranged for influential inmates during his tenure. Speaking to PTI, Sunil Gupta, who served as a law officer and spokesperson in Tihar from 1981 to 2016, claimed the "high and mighty people" used to get all kinds of favours and "special treatment" within the prison premises from officials as well as inmates in the country's largest jail. Action was also taken in some cases after he reported them, Gupta said without elaborating. Tihar is in the eye of a storm for alleged VIP treatment to influential prisoners after videos emerged in the public domain on November 19 showing Jain, who has been arrested on money laundering charges, getting massages from some inmates, one of whom was later identified as a POCSO accused. Various reports have ...

Delhi court directs Tihar Jail to provide Satyendar Jain food as per rules

A Delhi court on Wednesday directed Tihar jail authorities to provide food to jailed AAP minister Satyendar Kumar Jain during his religious fast in accordance with the relevant rules. Special Judge Vikas Dhull passed the order while directing the jail authorities to file their reply by tomorrow containing details of food provided to Jain in the past six months. The court was hearing a plea moved by Jain, alleging the jail administration had stopped giving him the food allowed "as per law" during his religious fast. A fresh row erupted on Wednesday after videos emerged of the jailed minister purportedly eating uncooked vegetables and fruits in his Tihar jail cell, with Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi alleging he is enjoying facilities akin to a holiday resort. The videos surfaced after he moved court alleging he is not being provided raw food according to his religious beliefs. However, the purported videos are dated September 13 and October 1. Jain's application sought a direction

Fresh videos showing Satyendar Jain having raw food emerge from jail

Fresh videos of AAP's Satyendar Jain emerged from Tihar jail on Wednesday in which he is seen eating uncooked vegetables and fruits in his cell, days after the minister moved a city court alleging that he is not being provided raw food as per his religious beliefs. However, the purported videos are dated September 13 and October 1. A Delhi court had on Tuesday sought the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) 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 that the jail administration had stopped providing him 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," sources said. They also said that contrary to .