Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: A Delhi court has directed the authorities concerned to provide healthy and nutritious diet and bottled drinking water to AAP leader and Member of Parliament (MP), Sanjay Singh, arrested in an excise policy case, during his production in courts outside the national capital.
Special Judge M K Nagpal passed the order on an application moved by Singh alleging he was not provided basic amenities like clean drinking water, proper diet and hygienic living conditions at places of his stay during production before courts outside Delhi.
The judge, however, acknowledged there could be some limitations with regard to the choice of food when the AAP Rajya Sabha MP travels by train to places outside the national capital.
“This court feels that even if the applicant is an MP, he is not entitled to any special privileges or treatment as a UTP (undertrial prisoner), but it is being stated that keeping in view his medical condition already brought on record, he is getting a medical diet in jail, as prescribed by the jail doctors,” the judge said.
The judge directed the DCP concerned to ensure that “whenever the applicant is taken for production in any outstation courts/States, the applicant shall be provided a healthy and nutritious diet of his choice, of course as per medical advice and subject to availability thereof with the Pantry Car of said train or through the online apps from the IRCTC”.
He said that “if the cost of such diet increases the prescribed amount of Rs 70 per diet for a UTP, then the applicant shall bear the burden of said increased cost and it can be recovered by the concerned authority from him”.
The judge added that besides the diet, the applicant shall also be provided sealed and bottled drinking water only during the period of his travel.