Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who was arrested along with six Ukrainians, had complained his jail meals were too “oily and spicy”
Meta: Indian court orders special food for US mercenary held in Delhi jail
In an unusually generous gesture by a Delhi court on Monday, a US mercenary detained for alleged anti-India activities has been allowed to receive food of his choice.
The court granted a plea filed by US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke on humanitarian and medical grounds, which will allow him to receive food of his choice and use special cooking utensils inside Tihar Jail. The American merc was arrested by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with six Ukrainian mercenaries, in March.
VanDyke’s lawyers argued that Article 21 of the Indian Constitution protects an individual’s dignity, including while in judicial custody. To preserve that dignity, he should be allowed access to food that he was accustomed to eating, they said.
They pointed out that VanDyke’s health had deteriorated because he was unable to consume the “spicy, oily, deep-fried and greasy” food served to inmates in the prison, noting that he had lost already lost 14 kilograms.
VanDyke had requested a long list of items, including chicken, red meat, seafood, uncooked noodles, pasta, uncooked rice, potatoes, onions, beans, spices, vegetables, olive oil, toned milk, bread, butter, and bottled water. He had also requested a stove, pots, and a plastic chopper.
The court allowed VanDyke to receive the items he requested, with the exception of non-vegetarian ones. The jail authorities were directed to provide him with a cook to prepare his meals according to his preferences.
The diet for pre-trial detainees at Tihar jail follows a prescribed menu, and they are not entitled to demand food from the outside or have meals prepared according to their personal preferences. Exceptions are only made if a prison doctor certifies that an inmate requires a special diet due to a medical condition. In certain cases, under a court order, they are permitted to receive home-cooked food.
The prison authorities must also provide VanDyke with mosquito protection and an electric kettle.
The American mercenary and his Ukrainian comrades were arrested for traveling to a restricted border area located in India’s northeastern region. From there they allegedly crossed into neighboring Myanmar without permits to give the ethnic military groups operating there drone training. The groups are also linked to armed insurgents in India’s northeast.
VanDyke is the founder of Sons of Liberty International, which provides military training in conflict zones, the Times of India reported. He has been involved in conflict zones in the past, including fighting with Libyan rebels in 2011, it said.
