The Taloja jail authorities have opposed home food to 2001 Mumbai blasts undertrial, Nadeem Akhtar, that he had sought for medical reasons, contending that food brought from outside could be intoxicated or poisoned.
Akhar had submitted in his plea that he suffers from a medical condition and hence needs a special diet to recover from it. The jail superintendent said in his response to the plea that food brought from outside may be intoxicated or poisoned. It said the prison does not have a lab to test the food and consequently there is a possibility of danger to the life of prisoners to bring said food from outside.
Further narrating security concerns, the jail’s response said that in Taloja jail, daily approximately 175 prisoners are required to be taken for production before courts and brought back. Daily approximately 20 to 30 prisoners are admitted to jail, it added.
“Due to the crowd in the main gate, it becomes difficult to search minutely each and every accused. Some unhappy incidents have taken place, some of the accused bring sharp-edged weapons, blades, mobile phones, narcotic drugs inside the jail,” it stated.
Regarding Akhar, it said that being an undertrial in such a case, Akhtar is lodged in an extensive security measures cell. It said further that while all undertrials are provided with a balanced diet, those suffering from illnesses are provided special food as per the advice of the prison’s medical officers. Akhtar is being provided 250 ml milk and two eggs daily, it added.
The jail authority said further that a canteen facility is available in prison and that prisoners can purchase required items from there. The court considered that Akhtar is being provided with a special diet by prison and rejected his plea for home food.
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