By Shekhar Singh
New Delhi, Nov 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Unitech MD Sanjay Chandra and his brother Ajay were lodged in Tihar Jail, for allegedly cheating home buyers till 2018, before being transferred to a Mumbai prison where they had access to facilities including crates of mineral water, badminton rackets, household items, LED TV and coconut water which are prohibited as per Jail manual, investigations revealed.
These facilities and VVIP treatment to prisoners indicated "corruption" and "grave misuse of power" in Tihar. VIP facilities and illegal activities continue unabated on prison premises, which came to the fore through some recent incidents.
The quid pro quo vis-a-vis benefits extended by the accused tainted officials are only meant for the rich prisoners. Inmate or outmate -- the poor always stand last in the line. This is evident by what the Chandra Brothers did and "utilised the services" of the accused
officials.
Both the Unitech promoters, who are in jail since August 2017, have been accused of siphoning off home buyers' money. On October 12, as many as 32 Tihar Jail officials were found complicit with the former Unitech promoters.
It was alleged that the Chandra brothers were conducting business from inside the Tihar Jail in connivance with the prison staff.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) too highlighted certain disturbing facts on how the premises of Central Jail Tihar was misused by the two.
The probe agency also claimed to have unearthed a "secret underground office" in south Delhi being operated by the erstwhile Unitech founder Ramesh Chandra and visited by his sons Sanjay and Ajay while on parole or bail.
On September 24, 2018, Additional Sessions Judge Ramesh Kumar-II, who carried out inspection after receiving several letters from 25 inmates that the duo brothers and others jailed for white collar crimes were enjoying a luxurious lifestyle.
A report was submitted by Kumar in Delhi High Court which indicated "corruption" and "grave misuse of power" on the part of then DG Prisons and Tihar Jail officials.
In the report, Kumar-II has recommended that an FIR be registered against DG Prisons and officials of Tihar Jail as such activities also pose an extra burden on the public exchequer.
The report stated that the facilities which the brothers were enjoying cannot be provided without the "involvement" and "knowledge" of the DG Prisons and other officials of Tihar Jail.
As per report, the prison officials had told Kumar-II that the letters were written by the inmates to pressure them into providing extra facilities to the other prisoners which was not permissible under the jail manual.
The report also said that some of the complainant inmates were shifted to Mandoli Jail after they had sent the letter.
Based on the report, the Delhi High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of a letter written by the inmates and turned it into a public interest litigation.
In August last year, the Supreme Court ordered immediate transfer of former Unitech directors from Tihar Jail to Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail and Taloja Central Jail on a report by the ED alleging collusion of the jail authorities in helping the accused engage in illegal activities within the prison premises.
Source: IANS
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