BRS leader K Kavitha spends first night at Tihar jail, served prison food

NEW DELHI: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha arrested in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case spent her first night in Tihar jail and was served prison food, official sources said on Wednesday.

According to the sources from Tihar jail, she spent her first night in a cell shared by two other female inmates in jail number six, which is a dedicated women’s prison.

"She ate dal and rice, which was also served to other inmates on Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning, she had tea with snacks," a jail source said.

Kavitha was taken to Tihar jail on Tuesday evening after a Delhi court sent her to judicial custody till April 9 on the ED's plea that if released, the "highly influential" arrestee was likely to influence witnesses and tamper with evidence.

"Following her medical examinations, she was directly sent to her cell. Her blood pressure was slightly low during the medical checkup but later it went back to normal," the source said.

Kavitha was given a mattress, slippers, clothes, a bedsheet, and a blanket as per the jail rules, the source said, adding she was also provided with her medicines.

An official said she did not demand anything "specific", and she will be provided with things as per the court order and the jail rules.

According to the court order, she is permitted to have home-cooked food, a mattress, slippers, clothes, a bedsheet, a blanket, books, pen and paper, and medicines. The BRS leader is also allowed to wear jewellery. However, she was not wearing any jewellery when she came to the jail, the official said. "The timings for tea, food and watching television will be the same for her as other inmates," another officer said, adding she can access the books in the Tihar jail library, which is open for all inmates.

The 46-year-old BRS leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 15. She was in the custody of the federal probe agency for 10 days.

The officials said around 500 women inmates are lodged in jail number six in the Tihar prison complex.

Kavitha is the third political leader after Aam Aadmi Party's Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh who have been lodged in Tihar jail after being arrested in the excise policy case.

While Sisodia is lodged in jail number one, Singh is in jail number two.

Another AAP leader Satyendar Jain, who was arrested in another money laundering case, is lodged in jail number seven.