Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered a high-level probe into allegations that senior prison department officials had received Rs 2 crore bribe to provide special facilities for AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala, who is currently serving a sentence at the Parappana Agrahara central jail in Bengaluru.
The allegations were levelled by DIG (Prisons) D Roopa on Wednesday, who said that senior jail staffers were allowing illegal activities at Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, including provision of special treatment to Sasikala.
In a letter to Director General and Inspector General (DG&IG) of police RK Dutta and DG (prisons) Sathyanarayana Rao, Roopa has said Sasikala is being allowed to use a separate cooking room, while Abdul Karim Telgi, convicted in the stamp paper scam, is provided undertrials as aides.
Roopa, also stated that there are speculations that Rs 2 crore bribe was paid to Karnataka’s jail authorities including Director General of Police (Prisons) HNS Rao, her senior officer for extending illegal facilities to Sasikala.
“These violations of prison rules have come to your notice, and there are talks of Rs 2 crore having been given as bribe for the same. I request you to act immediately and punish people breaking the rules,” Roopa’s letter read.
Siddaramaiah, however, has not specified as to who will head the probe and the deadline for the completion of the probe. “We have taken serious cognizance of the allegation of irregularities in Bengaluru central prison & ordered a high-level inquiry (sic),” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted out on Thursday.
