ACB to probe special treatment​ to Sasikala in jail

BENGALURU: There seems to be no hope for a speedy end to the probe into the alleged special treatment accorded to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide V K Sasikala, at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. After accepting the report of the committee headed by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, which probed the issue, the state government has now ordered a probe by the ACB into the alleged irregularities.

In its report, the committee has recommended an inquiry against Krishna Kumar, then chief superintendent of the prison, and Anitha, then deputy superintendent, based on the charges to be framed by the ADGP (Prisons). The committee has also recommended that based upon the preliminary enquiry, the CID may be instructed to conduct a probe regarding the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Prisons Department. As for the alleged bribery involved in the episode, the committee suggested that it be probed by the ACB.  The then DIG (Prisons) D Roopa, who blew the lid on the alleged special privileges provided to Sasikala, too will come under the scanner to see if there was any violation on her part.

Another person to come under the scanner will be then DG (Prisons) H N Satyanarayana Rao, who has since retired. Roopa had initially submitted a report stating that there was talk about `2 crore changing hands to provide special treatment to Sasikala in the prison.The committee has recommended ADGP and IG (Prisons) to prepare and seek approval of the revised prisons manual as per the Model Prisons Manual, 2016.

Expressing displeasure at the loopholes in surveillance on the prison inmates, the committee wants the government to direct the ADGP and IG (Prisons) to ensure that electronic surveillance equipment such as CCTV cameras and mobile jammers are covered by the Annual Maintenance Contract across the state.
Reacting to the order, Roopa told Express that it’s a welcome step.

‘It’s DELAY TACTICS BY GOVT’

According to an officer in the Prisons department, the state government’s attitude so far reeks of delay tactics to give a quiet burial to the case. The official said, “The case has now been referred to the ACB, but what was the necessity of forming a committee headed by IAS officer Vinay Kumar? The report was submitted to the government in October 2017, but why did the government not take any decision on the report? Now the government has set a three-month deadline for the probe. Let’s see what the ACB will do.”