NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in judicial custody in connection with the alleged excise scam, has been allowed to meet his party colleague and Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann at the Tihar on April 15, a senior prison official said on Friday.
The decision was taken at an advanced security liaison meeting involving the Additional DGP, Punjab, Delhi Police, and Tihar administration officials.
Notably, the Punjab CM had sought time from the jail administration to meet Kejriwal, who is lodged in jail number 2 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
The official told this newspaper that Punjab CM will meet Kejriwal in the prison between 9 am and 12 noon.
“No special arrangements have been made for the meeting, which will be held as per the jail manual,” the official said. Punjab Additional Director General of Police AK Pandey and an Assistant Commissioner of Police officer were present in the meeting led by Director General (Tihar) Sanjay Baniwal.
The meeting started at 11 am at the office of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rajiv Parihar in Tihar and concluded around 3 pm, an official said.
The official said the meeting was held to discuss the security arrangements to be made for the Punjab CM which is a mandatory practice as per the jail manual before any CM visits the prison to meet an inmate.
As per sources, Kejriwal has provided a list of six individuals, including Bhagwant Mann, whom he intends to meet in prison. The prison official further informed that the meeting will be held inside a ‘Mulakat
Jangla’ under tight security, as Mann is provided with Z+ security cover.
The ‘mulakat jangla’ is an iron mesh which separates the inmate from the visitor in a room inside the jail. A visitor and an inmate can talk to each other by sitting on different sides of the mesh.
Since his arrest, Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and his former personal secretary Bibhav Kumar have met him thrice in jail.
Security arrangements discussed
The official said the meeting was held to discuss the security arrangements to be made for the Punjab CM which is a mandatory practice as per the jail manual before any CM visits the prison to meet an inmate.