‘Dal-rice, jail mattress’: BRS’ K Kavitha shares cell with two female inmates on Day-1 in Tihar

K. Kavitha—the Nizamabad MLC and daughter of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) founder K Chandrashekhar Rao—spent her first night in Tihar jail following her arrest in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. The BRS leader was served prison food, and she shared her cell with two female inmates, PTI reported on Wednesday citing official sources.

The report said the Nizamabad MLC spent her first night in a cell shared by two other female inmates in jail number six of Tihar, which is a dedicated prison for women prisoners.

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

The BRS leader was taken to Tihar jail on Tuesday evening after a Delhi court sent her to judicial custody till April 9 following a plea of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that being a "highly influential" arrestee, she (K. Kavitha) can influence witnesses and tamper with evidence if released.

The report further said before sending her to the jail cell, the BRS leader was produced before a doctor for medical examinations. Her blood pressure was slightly low during the checkup but later improved to normal.

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"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 report said quoting the source. 

As per the jail manual, the BRS leader was given a mattress, slippers, clothes, a bedsheet, and a blanket. She was also provided with her medicines, a jail officer said adding that she did not demand anything "specific".

“Kavitha is permitted to have home-cooked food, a mattress, slippers, clothes, a bedsheet, a blanket, books, pen and paper, and medicines, as per the court order.

"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 to all inmates.

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Kavitha was arrested by the ED in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 15 from her residence in Hyderabad and has been in the custody of the federal probe agency since then. On March 22, the Supreme Court denied her urgent relief on her plea challenging the arrest.

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.