Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had a restless first night in Tihar jail as he paced up and down his 14X8 feet cell, managing only to sleep for a while, news agency PTI reported citing a prison official. Kejriwal, who has been remanded in judicial custody in the excise policy case, meditated in his cell the next morning.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was sent to judicial custody till April 15 by a Delhi court in connection with the liquor policy case. India's first sitting chief minister to be lodged at Asia's largest prison has been kept in jail number two.
The Delhi CM has been provided with a table and a chair inside the cell and has kept three books with him, as per his request in the court.
"Kejriwal slept on his own bed, which was different from the regular one provided by the jail authority. Since the area was small, he could have faced difficulty but didn't complain about it," sources in the Tihar jail told ANI.
They added that officials saw him keeping his devices like a sugar sensor and glucometer, isabgol, glucose, and toffees on his table.
The court had directed jail authorities to allow the Delhi chief minister to carry these items with him in case of sudden dip in his sugar levels. On Tuesday, the Delhi CM woke up early and was served tea and two biscuits at around 6:40 am.
Kejriwal was taken to jail on the afternoon of April 1 after the conclusion of his Enforcement Directorate custodial remand. The ED cast the Delhi Chief Minister as the "kingpin" in the alleged scam, and told the court the AAP leader had given "evasive replies" and concealed information relevant to the investigation.
According to the PTI report, Kejriwal's sugar level was below 50 before being sent to his cell and continued to remain low this morning. He is allowed to have home-cooked food in lunch and dinner and it will be served daily, till his sugar level comes to normal. His wife and children are likely to meet him today.
Two personnel from Tihar Jail Security and a jail warder have been deployed outside his cell. Jail authorities are keeping a watch on him through the CCTV cameras, while a quick reaction team has also been deployed near his cell, officials told PTI.
The books he had requested -- Ramayana, Mahabharata, and 'How Prime Ministers Decide' -- have been provided to him. He has also been allowed a religious locket that he wears.
As per the rules, Kejriwal has given a list of six people whom he would like to meet. The list includes his wife Sunita Kejriwal, their son and daughter, his private secretary Bibhav Kumar and AAP general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak.
(With agency inputs)
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