Chennai Special Court Orders Medically Suitable Diet and Prison Facilities for Undertrial Anbil Mahesh

What the special judge directed

Special Judge L.S. Sathiyamurthy directed the Superintendent of Puzhal Prison to ensure compliance with an earlier order for class A prison facilities and an appropriate diet for former minister Anbil Mahesh, who is in judicial custody. The Court instructed prison authorities to seek medical advice and make every endeavour to prepare suitable food within the institution. If that is not feasible, home-cooked food may be allowed after a written undertaking and on the undertrial’s responsibility, subject to the applicable safeguards.

The Court also directed that he be permitted to wear his own clothes. The operative focus was medical suitability and humane conditions in custody, not a general right of every inmate to demand food of personal preference. The order does not grant bail, determine the allegations in the underlying criminal case or exempt the prisoner from legitimate security checks. It addresses how existing custody should be administered while proceedings continue.

Medical request and the State’s objections

The undertrial told the Court that he suffers from recurrent acute-on-chronic pancreatitis and requires a special dietary regimen. According to the submissions, he had been receiving treatment since 2024 and had been advised to avoid ordinary food and take meals tailored to his medical needs. He alleged that despite an earlier dietary direction, regular prison food had been supplied, aggravating discomfort. He therefore sought permission for home-cooked food and appropriate medical arrangements.

The State opposed an unconditional entitlement to food from outside prison. It relied on the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 2024, and concerns about security, discipline and responsibility for food quality. The State also suggested written undertakings and inspection if outside food were permitted. The Court’s solution reflected those competing considerations: medical needs should be met, preferably through prison arrangements, while outside supply remains subject to a defined process.

Dignity and healthcare in custody

The special judge stressed that an undertrial remains entitled to dignity and food appropriate to the body’s medical condition. The Court referred to the Supreme Court’s guidance in L. Muruganantham v State of Tamil Nadu, 2025 SCC OnLine SC 1444, on nutritious and medically appropriate diets tailored to particular health needs. The principle is not that detention removes ordinary prison administration; it is that lawful custody must still be carried out consistently with humane treatment.

An undertrial has not been convicted in the pending case, and even a convicted prisoner retains protections against treatment incompatible with basic human dignity. A diet that is medically unsuitable can raise concerns distinct from a request for comfort or culinary preference. The order treats medical evidence as relevant to deciding what the prison must provide and how a safe alternative can be arranged when its kitchen cannot meet the requirement.

Context and next steps

Mahesh was arrested on 26 October 2026 in connection with allegations concerning registration of private schools. Those allegations remain subject to criminal proceedings and are not established by this prison-facilities order. The special court’s decision is therefore separate from the question of culpability. Its immediate concern was whether the prison had implemented directions made at remand and whether the undertrial’s health needs were being met.

Prison officials must now obtain medical advice, organise suitable meals and facilities, and assess whether the alternative undertaking procedure is necessary. The case illustrates a practical distinction between the right to adequate medical accommodation and an unrestricted entitlement to external food. It also highlights the importance of recording reasons and compliance when a court has already issued directions on an inmate’s health and custodial conditions.