New Delhi: A court Tuesday allowed Ukrainian Ivan Sukmanovskyi’s plea seeking his transfer from Tihar to Rohini Jail, where his five Ukrainian co-accused are lodged.Special NIA court’s additional sessions judge Prashant Sharma allowed the application, moved through counsel Garima Singh, and directed the jail superintendent to move the accused’s file within the next 15 days to facilitate the transfer.Allowing the application on humanitarian grounds, the judge noted that Sukmanovskyi was unable to communicate effectively as he “doesn’t know Hindi”, while the co-accused from Ukraine were lodged in Rohini jail no. 10.The court also partly allowed American accused Matthew Van Dyke’s plea seeking a diet more suited to his palate. It directed the Tihar jail superintendent to consult the prison cook and Van Dyke’s counsel to reduce the spice level in his meals. However, the court declined his request to cook for himself and use his own utensils.Taking note of Van Dyke’s submissions, including his health conditions, the court permitted the food items listed in his application, except non-vegetarian ones. It also directed the jail superintendent to provide him with mosquito protection and an electric kettle.The court said Van Dyke’s counsel, advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, would visit the jail Wednesday in the presence of the medical officer, jail superintendent and the prison cook. The cook will prepare a meal according to Van Dyke’s preferences in their presence, following which similar meals will be provided to him daily. The jail superintendent and the medical officer were also asked to monitor his health.Van Dyke, who is in judicial custody, had sought permission to prepare his own meals and be provided an “American-style diet” as the prison food was “too spicy” for him.NIA has alleged that the accused were involved in training ethnic armed groups in drone-related military technologies, raising concerns over India’s national security.
