NEW DELHI: The Delhi Prison officials on Wednesday denied the Aam Aadmi Party's allegations and referred to them as "unfounded," adding that former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was lodged in a section of Central Jail No. 1 of Tihar, where there are no gangsters and a small number of prisoners.
In response to statements made by AAP MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, the jail administration issued a statement.
Bharadwaj claimed on Wednesday that Sisodia was being held in a cell with other prisoners and that he had been denied a "vipassana" cell.
"There was a request for Manish Sisodia to be kept in the vipassana cell of the jail and the same was approved by the court. Despite the court's approval, Sisodia has been kept with criminals in jail number 1. The Centre must give an answer," Bharadwaj said.
In its response, the prison authorities issued a statement saying "Manish Sisodia has been assigned to a segregated ward keeping his security in mind. The ward...has minimum number of inmates who are not gangsters and are maintaining good conduct inside the jail."
According to jail officials, a separate cell makes it possible for him to meditate or do such other activities without any disturbance.
"All the arrangements, as per jail rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his lodgings is unfounded," an official added.
Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the excise policy scam case. He is currently in judicial custody.
The court had allowed the senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to carry the Bhagavad Gita, spectacles and medicines to jail, and directed the Tihar authorities to consider his request to be allowed to do vipassana meditation.
(With inputs from PTI)
