Prisons chief transferred amid row over special treatment to Satyendar Jain

The transfer came days after the Union home ministry sought a report from the Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar over alleged “special treatment” of Jain in prison

Director general (prisons) Sandeep Goel has been transferred amid allegations that jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Satyendar Jain was getting “special treatment” at Tihar Jail with the help of prison authorities.

Satyendar Jain. (Hindustan Times)

The Delhi government’s deputy secretary (home department) Shailesh Kumar on Friday said that lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has ordered the transfer. Sanjay Beniwal will replace Goel.

The transfer came days after the Union home ministry sought a report from the Delhi chief secretary Naresh Kumar over alleged “special treatment” of Jain in prison.

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

ED arrested Jain in May under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of a 2017 case the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered against him and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets worth ₹1.47 crore between February 2015 and May 2017.