K’taka CM: Didn’t ask for spl amenities to Sasikala in jail

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday denied he had asked prison officials to give jailed AIADMK leader, V K Sasikala special amenities.

The Anti Corruption Bureau is investigating the case after a prison report submitted by DIG (Prisons) D Roopa in July, 2017 stated that Sasikala had bribed Rs 2 crore to senior police officers to be given special treatment in prison. The Former Chief of Prisons, H N Satyanarayana Rao has said that he had received instructions from the Chief Minister to provide a cot, a mattress and a pillow in the prison.  Roopa had accused her senior Rao of giving Sasikala special facilities.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah denied having given any such instructions.

“A delegation from Tamil Nadu had come to me stating that Sasikala was not even given a mat and pillow”, he said. “I asked him [the prisons chief] to see what help can be done according to the jail manual. I had not asked [him] to give special amenities. I had said – give a mat and pillow if it is allowed under the jail manual.”, he added. He said Rao was making baseless allegations. Rao has levelled baseless charges against me,” Siddaramaiah said.

“The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has been investigating alleged irregularities in the jail.”

The State Home Minister, Ramalinga Reddy however had a different version.  He said Sasikala had been given all these comforts on a doctor’s advice. “There is a 100-bed hospital within the jail premises,” Reddy said. “Sasikala had health issues and the decision to provide her with a bed and pillow was on medical advice.”

Sasikala was convicted in February 2017 in an illegal assets case and sentenced to four years in jail.