Telangana: T Raja Singh moves court for special class status in jail

HYDERABAD: Goshamahal BJP MLA T Raja Singh, who is in Cherapally jail under the Preventive Detention Act for alleged comments on Prophet Muhammad, has now sought court intervention for special class prisoner status to get facilities accorded to such jail inmates.
In her petition before the Telangana high court, the suspended BJP MLA’s wife T Usha Bai, while seeking special class prisoner facilities, also said that Singh could face a threat to his life as he has been placed with other prisoners in a cell instead of a room of his own.
She said that her representations to the state home and prison authorities seeking a special class prisoner category had yielded no response till now.
Usha Bai said that prison rules describe a legislator as a special class prisoner and hence he should accordingly get facilities such as a separate room with a cot, table and chair along with newspapers, essential medicines, a cook etc., which are provided to such class of prisoners. Such a special class prisoner will have easy access to family members or party workers from constituency who want to meet him in jail, she said.
“But Raja singh is not provided with either newspapers or TV so that he can continue to discharge his duties from jail by writing letters and giving interviews. He is sleeping on the floor. He needs to be kept away from ordinary prisoners to protect him from any possible threats to his life in jail. He needs protection inside jail also,” she said in the petition.
When the matter came up for hearing before Justice K Lalitha, the lawyer for the petitioner said a senior counsel would argue the case and sought time. The judge has now posted the case to September 28.