Natasha Narwal will be allowed to hold video conference with lawyer: Tihar assures Delhi HC

Following the plea of Natasha Narwal who was arrested in a case over her alleged role in the northeast Delhi violence, the Tihar Jail authorities assured the Delhi HC that the former will be allowed to talk with her advocates through video conferencing and access to books and reading material to complete her MPhil.

New Delhi:The Tihar Jail authorities on Tuesday assured the Delhi High Court that video conferencing facility will be provided to Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal, who was arrested in a case over her alleged role in the northeast Delhi violence, for interacting with her lawyers for 30 minutes in a week.

Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for Tihar Jail, also submitted before a bench of Justice C Harishankar that the prison authorities have no objection to Narwal sourcing books from outside provided the material does not interfere with any provision of the jail rules.

The development comes on a petition filed by Narwal seeking directions to Tihar to allow her daily access to her advocates by way of video conferencing and allow access to books and reading material to enable her to complete her MPhil.

Mehra also submitted that Narwal will be provided headphones and jail officials will be present during the video conference but from a visual distance, after which the court appreciated the proactive approach and disposed of the petition filed by Narwal.

Yesterday, Tihar Jail officials had informed the court that Narwal was allowed to conduct video conferencing with her advocate on June 24. Narwal was also allowed to call her family on telephone eight times so far and 13 books and two registers have been provided to her, jail authorities had submitted.

Narwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar Prison, was arraigned by the Delhi Police as an accused in three FIRs registered in connection with protest during the violence in northeast Delhi.

Narwal was arrested on March 23 in connection with a case related to anti-CAA protests in Jafrabad of northeast Delhi but was granted a bail thereafter.

However, soon after getting bail, she was again arrested by Delhi Police on March 24 in another case and is now under judicial custody. She was also arrested in a third case related to her role in north-east Delhi violence matter.

(ANI report)