After facing an intense custodial interrogation for 14 days by the CBI over his role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, former telecom minister A. Raja now has to cool his heels in the high-security Tihar jail, as a special CBI judge on Thursday sent him to 14 days judicial custody till March 3.
Allowing the plea of the Central Bureau of Investigation, which sought judicial custody for the former telecom minister, special judge O.P. Saini said, “The accused (Raja) is remanded in judicial custody till March 3.” Mr Raja was produced before the court on Thursday, after his CBI custody expired on Thursday.
The court also directed the Tihar Jail authorities to allow Mr Raja to have access to home-made food in the jail besides his medicines and reading glasses.
Soon after the court pronounced its order to remand Mr Raja to Tihar Jail for 14 days, the former telecom minister, told the reporters outside the the Patiala House Courts, “I will face the case and prove my innocence.”
Ramesh Gupta, lawyer of Mr Raja, moved an application seeking a direction to the Tihar Jail authorities to keep his medicines, reading glasses and books with him. He also requested that Mr Raja be allowed to get home-cooked food.
“The accused (Raja) has a history of acid reflex disorder, irritable syndrome, claustrophobia and other related medical disorders since 2002 for which he has been under medication. Owing to these medical condition of the applicant, he has been advised to take only home-cooked food along with the medicines prescribed for the medical condition,” Mr Gupta said in his application.
Mr Raja would be sharing his ward with former convicted IPS officer R.K. Sharma, sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment in journalist Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, and Ravi Inder Singh, former director in the internal security division of the home ministry, who was suspended for allegedly leaking sensitive information to unauthorised persons.
The former telecom minister would also be served 45-gram tea twice a day, besides two pieces of slice and biscuits, as per the jail manuals.
He would also be provided 450-gram wheat flour and 250-gram vegetables daily.
The former minister, lodged in the high-security special jail number one, would be provided a mattresses and two blankets, as provided to each jail inmates.
Mr Raja, who was arrested on February 2 for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal, caused huge losses to the tune of `22,000 crores to the national exchequer, the probe agency claimed.