Kobad Ghandy, the 68-year-old undertrial lodged in Tihar Jail here, called off his hunger strike on Friday soon after a court ordered the jail authorities to provide him easier access to basic facilities and adequate health care.
“It’s a very good order. The court has taken into consideration his [Ghandy’s] old age and his requirements,” Mr. Ghandy’s lawyer Bhavuk Chauhan told The Hindu .
Mr. Ghandy, accused of being a Maoist ideologue, was arrested in September 2009.
Mr. Ghandy went on a hunger strike last Saturday alleging that Tihar officials had adopted “a method of harassment” aimed at destroying his health. The protest was largely against his repeated transfers from one cell to another which cut him off from basic facilities like medicine, hot water, bed and commode.
In response to Mr. Ghandy’s petition, the Tihar officials filed a report stating that the inmate was never denied access to medical support.
After a 15-minute hearing, the court asked the jail superintendent “to take adequate care and caution in respect of the facilities to which the accused is entitled.”
“He is fine and happy now,” said an advocate who visited Mr. Ghandy in Tihar on Friday evening.
