Delhi court allows Sukesh Chandrashekhar to buy cake for wife's birthday from prison bakery

A court here has allowed Sukesh Chandrashekhar, lodged in Mandoli jail in connection with several frauds, to buy a cake for his wife's birthday from the prison bakery, saying he "needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached with his family members".

The couple is incarcerated in the Mandoli prison complex on charges of alleged money laundering and duping several people.

The court directed the superintendent of Mandoli jail to hand over the cake to Chandrashekhar's wife Leena Paulose on April 28. While noting that Chandrashekhar's prayer appeared to be "more on human emotion than any legal aspect", Special Judge Shailender Malik said, "Be that as it may, the UTP (undertrial prisoner) needs to be given the confidence to be emotionally connected and attached with his family members/relatives."

"Therefore, I find no bar, more specifically when the concerned UTP Sukesh Chandrashekhar is seeking to purchase cake/pastry from the bakery of Mandoli jail itself out of his prisoner fund and it is not that some article is being taken out of jail to be given to any of the UTP," the judge said in an order dated April 25.

Special Public Prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh had opposed the application, saying the accused should have moved it before the jail authorities first and should have moved the court only if not permitted by them. Chandrashekhar, appearing through video conference, submitted that he had made the request to the jail authorities but it was not accepted and hence he moved the application before the court.

In his application, Chandrashekhar had submitted that he has been regularly meeting his wife during 'family meeting' hours. Chandrashekhar is accused of cheating many people, including high-profile individuals such as former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh. Chandrashekhar and his associates reportedly took money from Aditi posing as government officials and promising to secure bail for her husband who was in jail in a money laundering case.