‘Refusal of permission to meet Kejriwal in jail arbitrary’

New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak Wednesday contended before the Delhi High Court that the prison authority’s decision to deny him a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail was “arbitrary, illegal and completely unjustified”.

The jail authorities had permitted Pathak to meet Kejriwal twice in April but refused to give him permission this time, claiming that certain statements made by him after meeting the chief minister were in contravention of prison rules and mostly politically motivated.

Opposing Pathak’s plea, the jail authorities contended before the court that he deliberately violated the prison consideration and spoke to the media on the deliberations he had with Kejriwal and that the prison administration is not in favour of allowing him the facility of physical “mulakat” with the inmate in view of his past conduct. After hearing part arguments advanced by the parties, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna listed the matter for further proceedings on Thursday.

As the court sought to know if no one was allowed to meet Kejriwal, senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing

Pathak, said three people were allowed to visit the chief minister and at present, two were meeting him.

The court also asked the jail authorities to place on record the order by which Pathak was stopped from meeting Kejriwal.

Kejriwal is lodged in Tihar jail under judicial custody in the alleged excise policy scam.

Pathak, in his plea, sought a direction to the jail authorities to allow him the right of

physical visitation and interview with Kejriwal.