Delhi High Court Upholds Tihar Jail's Denial of Visitation Rights to MP Sandeep Pathak

The Delhi High Court supported Tihar jail's decision to deny AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak visitation rights to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The court noted that Pathak can seek permission again. Pathak’s past statements broke prison rules by being politically motivated. Kejriwal is in Tihar jail for an alleged excise policy scam.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday affirmed Tihar jail administration's decision to deny AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak visitation rights to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. However, the court gave Pathak the liberty to seek permission again from the jail superintendent in accordance with the law.

The jail authorities allowed Pathak to meet Kejriwal twice in April but later disallowed it, citing that Pathak's subsequent statements violated prison rules and were politically driven. Pathak's counsel argued that the denial was arbitrary and unjustified.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, in her ruling, emphasized the importance of maintaining prison discipline and noted that Pathak's statements were clearly political and violated Delhi Prisons Rules. The court also highlighted that inmates' rights are curtailed to preserve order within the jail.

(With inputs from agencies.)