In Delhi's Tihar jail, IVF sample collection allowed for gangster Kala Jathedi

Doctors from a private hospital in Gurugram, where Jathedi’s wife is undergoing IVF treatment, have been cleared to visit Tihar for sample collection

A Delhi court has permitted gangster Kala Jathedi, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, to participate in a medical procedure related to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) for conceiving a child, while remaining in judicial custody.

Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi. (Vipin Kumar/HT photo)

The order, passed by additional sessions judge Deepak Wasan on June 9, came in response to an application by Jathedi’s counsel, advocate Rohit Kumar Dalal, who had sought six-hour parole to facilitate the process. The court denied interim parole but allowed the procedure to take place within the prison premises. It directed that doctors collect the required samples from Jathedi on June 14, between 6am and 7am, inside Tihar Jail.

“The applicant (Jathedi) and his wife wish to preserve their lineage by procreating a child to secure their family tree,” noted the judge in the order.

The court earlier sought medical opinions from AIIMS and RML Hospital, both of which confirmed the IVF procedure could be safely carried out within the jail. Doctors from a private hospital in Gurugram, where Jathedi’s wife is undergoing IVF treatment, have been cleared to visit Tihar for sample collection.

Advocate Dalal had argued that interim parole was essential due to the time-sensitive nature of IVF. He also said Jathedi’s wife, Anuradha Choudhary—also known as Madam Minz—was in an advanced stage of treatment.

Jathedi and Choudhary were married on March 12, 2024, in a heavily guarded ceremony at a Dwarka banquet hall, after he was granted six-hour parole for the occasion. Local police and paramilitary forces were deployed to secure the venue.

Jathedi is currently imprisoned in connection with multiple extortion cases across Delhi and neighbouring states, allegedly committed through his gang network. His wife, Choudhary, has also faced serious criminal charges and was previously associated with slain gangster Tillu Tajpuria.