Delhi HC Reserves Order on AAP MP's Plea to Meet CM Kejriwal in Jail

The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on AAP MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak's plea against the refusal of prison authorities to allow him to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The court heard arguments from both parties and directed prison officials to provide formal justification for their decision.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its order on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak's plea challenging the prison authority's denial to permit him to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna concluded the hearing after considering submissions from both Pathak's counsel and the Tihar authorities.

Previously, jail authorities allowed Pathak to meet Kejriwal twice in April, but subsequently denied further meetings. They argued Pathak's statements to the media after their meetings violated prison rules and appeared politically driven. As a result, the authorities opposed granting Pathak more visits, citing his past behavior as a deliberate breach of prison conduct.

Responding to the court's query, senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing Pathak, mentioned that three individuals had been allowed to meet Kejriwal, with two currently visiting him. The court instructed the jail authorities to issue a formal order explaining their decision to prevent Pathak from meeting Kejriwal. Pathak's plea requested that the authorities permit him physical visitation and interviews with Kejriwal, arguing he had not broken any prison rules restricting conversation topics to private and domestic matters.

The jail authorities justified the restriction further by referencing Pathak's rebuttal statements post-visit that allegedly breached prison rules. Pathak asserted these discussions are critical to democratic principles, arguing that political speech should not be limited unless explicitly stated by law or constitutional provisions.

(With inputs from agencies.)