Satyendar Jain had cited depression due to loneliness (File)
A superintendent of Delhi's Tihar prison has been issued a notice for moving two prisoners to the cell of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister, Satyendar Jain, after he cited "loneliness".
Satyendar Jain, who has been in the high-security jail following his arrest last year, had in a letter on May 11 requested the prison to lodge him with more inmates.
Mr Jain had cited "depression due to loneliness" and the need for "more social interactions" in his letter - which he said was advised by a doctor.
"I am feeling depressed and low because of loneliness. A psychiatrist suggested me more social interactions and he requested to lodge him with at least two more persons," he wrote, requesting the company of at least two more people.
He also mentioned two names in the letter.
The Superintendent then moved two prisoners to the former Delhi minister's cell.
Prison officials said they were shifted back to their cells immediately after the administration found out.
They said the decision was taken by the Superintendent without discussing the matter with the jail administration.
"Action has been initiated against the Superintendent of Jail No 7 for transferring two prisoners to the cell of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain who requested to lodge him with at least two inmates citing depression and need for more social interactions. Inmates were immediately transferred back," said an official.
Last year, a prison official was suspended for alleged VIP treatment to the former minister.
Action was taken after the Enforcement Directorate submitted CCTV footage to a court, alleging that Mr Jain was enjoying a luxurious lifestyle in jail and influencing investigations by regularly meeting with co-accused in his case.
In the security video, Satyendar Jain was seen getting a massage from a man in his cell, and chatting with other inmates, none of which is allowed inside the prison. He was also seen eating fruit salad, which brought his complaint about food quality in jail to question.
Another video clip showed Mr Jain relaxing in his bed when he is visited by three people in casual clothing.
His party explained the massages as physiotherapy and said that home-cooked meals had been cleared by doctors and courts.
The former minister was arrested on May 30 last year, by the Enforcement Directorate. The probe agency had initiated the money-laundering investigation in the case on the basis of a First Information Report or FIR registered by the CBI on August 24, 2017.