Satyendar Jain CCTV row: No visitors allowed for 15 days
Jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satyendar Jain won't be allowed to meet visitors for the next 15 days and facilities like a chair and table in his cell will also be removed, NDTV reported. The move is reportedly based on the recommendations of a committee constituted by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena after CCTV footage leaks showed Jain receiving massages inside his cell.
Why does this story matter?
- Delhi's Tihar Jail in Delhi has been in the headlines for "ensuring luxurious facilities" to certain people.
- In November, Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel was transferred from Tihar Jail for allegedly helping conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar enjoy a "luxurious life inside the jail" in exchange for Rs. 12.5 crore.
- Chandrasekhar had also claimed that he had paid Jain Rs. 10 crore as "protection money."
More on Jain's 15-day punishment
Furthermore, the committee stated it found "collusion" on the part of the then-head of Tihar Jail, Goel, with Jain and suggested departmental proceedings against the former for providing "VIP treatment" to the Delhi minister. To recall, multiple videos of the AAP leader leaked in the days leading up to the Delhi municipal polls and the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections earlier in December.
BJP targeted AAP ahead of polls: Kejriwal
After the CCTV footage leaks showed Jain enjoying sumptuous meals and massages, the AAP claimed doctors and courts allowed Jain to receive physiotherapy and home-cooked meals. AAP chief-Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said the videos aimed to damage his party during the polls. Jain's latest 15-day punishment comes after the AAP defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi municipal elections but lost in Gujarat.
Jain moves court over CCTV clip leaks
Last month, Jain also moved a special court against broadcasting the leaked CCTV clips of him from inside the cell. The AAP leader reportedly sought directions from the court to prevent the media from airing his clips from the jail. The minister's move came after two videos of him, showing him receiving a massage and enjoying a sumptuous meal inside his cell, respectively, leaked.
Why was Satyendar Jain arrested?
Jain was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) this year on May 30. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initially filed a case against the AAP leader and a few others in August 2017 over disproportionate assets. Based on the CBI's first information report (FIR), the ED also launched a money laundering investigation against Jain.
