NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has asked for a detailed explanation from Tihar Jail authorities after Christian Michel James, a British national and accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, raised fresh concerns about his safety and living conditions in prison.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal raised serious concerns about James being kept with another inmate, Shanawaz, who reportedly has 41 behaviour-related complaints filed against him by prison staff.
“The Jail Superintendent is directed to appear in person to explain how such a desperate accused was kept with Christian Michel James,” the judge said. He also ordered a status report to be submitted by April 29.
This court action comes after James recently claimed he was being “poisoned” in jail. The court had earlier asked for a report and now wants a more detailed explanation.
The judge also criticised jail authorities for not following a previous court order that allowed James to be given a table fan due to extreme heat.
“The court already allowed this. He is still an undertrial. He must be given a fan. He is a foreign national. It is 42 degrees in Delhi,” said Judge Aggarwal.
James was extradited from Dubai to India on December 4, 2018, after being detained there for four months. He is one of three alleged middlemen being investigated in the multi-million-euro helicopter deal.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have accused him of receiving 30 million euros from AgustaWestland, the Italian company involved. The CBI says the 2010 deal to supply 12 VVIP helicopters caused a loss of 398.21 million euros to India.
On March 7, in an unusual move, James offered to “complete his sentence” and return to the UK, citing fears for his safety if granted bail in India. Despite these concerns, the courts have granted him bail in both the CBI and ED cases.