New Delhi: An inquiry has been initiated and Tihar jail superintendent has been asked to file a report over a letter that was passed from jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to his wife Sunita Kejriwal without due procedure being followed, ThePrint has learnt.
“An internal inquiry has been ordered by the authorities and the jail superintendent is directed to submit a report on how the letter went through without protocol (being followed). Initial inquiry revealed that the jail superintendent wasn’t aware of the letter,” a source in Tihar told ThePrint.
The sitting Delhi CM was arrested on 21 March in connection with the Delhi excise policy case after hours of questioning. On 1 April, a special court sent him to judicial custody till 15 April. He is lodged in Ward no 4 of Tihar’s jail no 2 as its only inmate. He’s accompanied by four Tihar security personnel when he goes for a stroll within jail premises.
As per protocol, letters cannot be passed by inmates to their visitors without the consent of the jail superintendent.
According to the Delhi Prison rules 2018, even though an inmate can write any number of letters at his or her own cost, the letters can only go through the jail superintendent. This essentially also means that there is no secrecy in these letters.
“The Superintendent may withhold any letter which seems to him to be, in any way, improper or objectionable. He may also cause such passages in the letters to be erased,” the prison rules state.
The inquiry was ordered after Sunita Kejriwal read out a message from the Delhi Chief Minister Thursday at a press conference. Since the CM’s arrest, Sunita has been functioning as his mouthpiece.
“Arvind Kejriwal has sent a message to all MLAs: Just because I am in jail, the people of Delhi should not suffer in any way. Every MLA should visit their area every day and discuss people’s problems and sort them out,” Sunita Kejriwal said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: 5-min phone calls, lack of secrecy — challenges Kejriwal will face if he rules Delhi from prison