MHA seeks reports over Jain’s ‘privileges’ at Tihar

The ministry sought the report after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court that Jain was living a luxurious lifestyle with facilities such as face, head and foot massages, fruits and salads as well as meetings with his family members.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has sought a report from Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar regarding allegations that jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain was availing “special treatment” inside the Tihar prison in connivance with jail authorities, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. (File Photo) (Hindustan Times)

The ministry sought the report, according to an officer who asked not to be named, last month after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed a Delhi court that Jain was living a luxurious lifestyle with facilities such as face, head and foot massages, fruits and salads as well as meetings with his family members.

The federal anti-money laundering agency cited CCTV footage from the prison to level the allegations but it has not yet issued any official statement on the matter. The officer cited above said the MHA, based on the chief secretary’s report, may even consider ordering a probe into the matter.

The Tihar authorities have refuted the claims. The Delhi government and the chief secretary did not respond to requests for a comment.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi chief Adesh Gupta, in a press conference on October 31, alleged that Jain was using electronic gadgets, eating home-cooked food and was influencing witnesses while still being lodged in jail.

Meanwhile, alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has written to lieutenant governor VK Saxena, alleging that Satyendar Jain extorted ₹10 crore from him as “protection money” for his safe stay in the prison, a charge denied by the AAP leadership.

The conman also claimed that he contributed ₹50 crore to the AAP for which he was promised an “important post” in the party’s south zone and nomination to the Rajya Sabha after the party’s expansion. He also accused Tihar director general Sandeep Goel of taking ₹12.5 crore from him.

ED arrested Jain in May this year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The central agency’s probe against Jain is based on a 2017 case of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in which it was alleged that the AAP leader and his wife Poonam Jain amassed disproportionate assets worth ₹1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017, which was much higher than their known sources of income.