Chidambaram spends restless first night at Tihar jail with no special facilities

New Delhi: P Chidambaram spent his first night at the Tihar jail on Thursday after a CBI court sent the former Union minister and one of the top leaders of Congress to two-week judicial custody in the INX Media case.

Quoting jail sources India Today said that he remained restless throughout the first night.

The veteran Congress leader, who has been a vocal critic of the Modi government till the last few days before a Delhi court rejected his bail plea, will be lodged at jail number 7 at Tihar. This is the usual cell where those accused in Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases are lodged.

On Friday morning, Chidambaram was given tea for breakfast around 6 am along with the prison menu of bread, poha and porridge.

P Chidambaram, who enjoys Z+ security as a former Union finance minister, will get no special facilities at the Tihar jail. He will be allowed to walk outside his prison cell.

The Congress leader had demanded to have access to western toilet facilities and he has been provided with the same, going by the jail manual.

He also wanted to carry his spectacles and medicines to the prison. Chidambaram had a light dinner and medicines on the first night of his 14-day custody.

Among the facilities available to Chidambaram is access to media. Like other inmates, the former minister will have access to the prison’s library and can watch television for a specified period. He will also get newspapers in his cell.

The 74-year-old leader has also been given a pillow and blanket.

Officials said Chidambaram can either drink water from a Reverse Osmosis plant or purchase packaged bottle from the canteen.

In a major setback for one of the most powerful leaders of the UPA era, Chidambaram was jailed on Thursday and sent to judicial custody by the CBI court in the INX Media case. Earlier the Supreme Court dealt a blow and rejected his bail application.

In another case, a Delhi trial court granted him and son Karti Chidambaram bail in the Aircel-Maxis case only to be sent to prison within a few hours in the INX Media case.