Bengaluru: The allegations made by former DIG Roopa that Rs 2 Crore bribe had been taken to provide special treatment to Sasikala is likely to backfire since the Supreme Court itself had ordered the prison authorities to provide her “A” class status.
DIG Roopa had alleged that AIDMK leader Sasikala was given VVIP treatment at Parappana Agrahara by prison officials after taking a bribe. Director General of Prisons H N Satyanarayana Rao however, had refuted the charges made by her and had warned her of filing Rs 50 Crore defamation suit if she failed to apologise.
Now it has come to light that the Supreme Court itself had ordered to provide A-class facilities to Sasikala in February 2017. Sathyanarayana Rao has decided to use the court order as weapon to prove charges made by Roopa wrong.
According to reports, the 36th Additional City Civil and Sessions Judge and Special Court for Trial of Criminal Cases against Jayalalithaa and others in its order had stated that the “Jail authorities are at liberty to consider giving of Class-A status to the convict-3 if she is entitled to legacy for the same as per the Jail Manual and Prison Rules.”
Convicts Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran had appealed to the court to provide “A” class facility citing health and security reasons. Following the prison officials’ refusal, the defendants’ lawyers had taken the matter to the court. Following this, the court had ordered providing them special privileges. Considering the court’s observation that there would be chances of attack on the defendants over Cauvery row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, officials at Parappana Agrahara had given Sasikala a separate room for security reasons.
Officials at Parappana Agrahara reiterated that Sasikala was given special treatment only after receiving the court order and a copy of the same has been given to special probe team appointed to investigate the case.
It may be recalled that Deputy Inspector General of Prisons D Roopa Moudgil in a four-page report in Kannada had alleged that convict Sasikala had paid Rs 2 Crore bribe to prison officials, including Director General of Prisons H N Satyanarayana Rao and jail warden for special privileges such as special menu, special chefs and a special kitchen adjacent to her cell in the prison’s women’s ward.
Sasikala (59) is in the Parpanna Agrahara Central Jail since February 15 to serve a four-year sentence after she was found guilty and convicted by a trial court here in September 2014 in the two decades old illegal wealth case of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Though the Karnataka High Court had acquitted her, the Supreme Court on February 14, 2017 upheld the conviction and sentence.
The Home Department has also set up a one-man inquiry committee headed by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered a probe into the report.
The Karnataka government had appointed IPS officer H S Revanna as the new Deputy Inspector General, Prisons, a day after transferring incumbent D Roopa to be the Commissioner for Traffic and Road Safety. Director General, Prisons, H N Satyanarayana Rao too was transferred without a fresh posting, as he is set to retire this month-end.
