Delhi High Court Reserves Order on Sandeep Kumar Pathak’s Plea to Meet CM Arvind Kejriwal in Jail
The Delhi High Court has reserved its decision on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Kumar Pathak’s plea against the prison authority’s refusal to allow him to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail. The bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna concluded the hearing after considering arguments from both Pathak’s counsel and representatives of the Tihar authorities.
The jail authorities had previously allowed Pathak to meet Kejriwal twice in April but recently denied further meetings. They argued that Pathak’s statements to the media after the meetings violated prison rules and appeared politically motivated. Pathak’s plea challenged this, stating he had not violated any rules and that restricting political discussions infringes on democratic principles and constitutional rights.
Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing Pathak, mentioned that three people had been permitted to visit Kejriwal, with two currently meeting him. The court directed the jail authorities to provide a formal order explaining their decision to prevent Pathak from meeting Kejriwal.
Pathak’s plea requested that the jail authorities be directed to allow him physical visitation and interviews with Kejriwal. He argued that the application of Rule 587, which limits conversations during inmate interviews to private and domestic matters, should not extend to statements made afterwards. Pathak contended that political speech is integral to democracy and should not be restricted unless explicitly prohibited by law or constitutional provisions.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi High Court -: The Delhi High Court is a big building where judges work. They make important decisions about laws and rules in Delhi.
Sandeep Kumar Pathak -: Sandeep Kumar Pathak is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and works as a Member of Parliament (MP). He helps make laws for the country.
CM Arvind Kejriwal -: Arvind Kejriwal is the Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi. He is the head of the government in Delhi and makes important decisions for the city.
plea -: A plea is a request made to a court asking for a specific decision or action. In this case, Sandeep Kumar Pathak is asking the court to let him meet Arvind Kejriwal in jail.
prison authority -: Prison authority refers to the people in charge of running the jail. They make sure the rules are followed inside the jail.
media statements -: Media statements are things people say to newspapers, TV, or other news outlets. These statements can be shared with the public.
politically motivated -: Politically motivated means doing something for political reasons, like to gain support or make a point in politics.
democratic principles -: Democratic principles are the basic ideas that support democracy, like freedom of speech and the right to participate in government.
constitutional rights -: Constitutional rights are the rights given to people by the Constitution of India. These include things like freedom of speech and the right to meet people.