2G scam: Shahid Balwa's brother wants iPad in jail

He is cooling his heels behind bars for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam but it seems Shahid Balwa’s brother’s love for swanky gadgets remains. He wants an ‘iPad’ to read the nearly 85,000-page charge sheet filed against him by the CBI.

Asif Balwa, director of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, moved the Delhi high court on Tuesday demanding that he should be allowed to use iPad in the jail.

He says he wants an iPad delivered to him for which he will bear the cost.

“Due to the voluminous documentation filed by the investigating agency, the petitioner is unable to keep copies of the entire charge sheet, either in jail or while in court. This lack of access to the material alleged to be against him is causing the petitioner grave prejudice and is against his constitutional right to a free and fair trial,” Balwa said in his petition.

Justice S Muralidhar issued notice to the Union of India and Tihar jail superintendent and asked them to reply by Wednesday.  Tihar jail spokesperson Sunil Gupta says this was a unique plea from any accused to date.

“We have never allowed such plea and can’t allow this because of security concerns,” he said. But IT experts say there was no harm in giving an iPad to an accused in jail with a downloaded copy of the documents he wanted to access. Balwa also demanded a cooler to be installed in his cell.