Bribery charge over special privileges to Sasikala in jail

The Karnataka government has ordered a three-month, time-bound probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against former Director-General of Police (Prisons) H.N. Satyanarayana Rao under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in connection with the allegations of bribery for reportedly giving special privileges to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s aide V.K. Sasikala.

This is based on the recommendations of the Vinay Kumar Fact Finding Committee on alleged irregularities in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.

It was alleged that Mr. Rao, who has since retired from service, accepted illegal gratification of ₹ 2 crore for giving special privileges to Ms. Sasikala. The Vinay Kumar panel has not probed the merits of the allegations but only recommended a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The ACB had earlier conducted a preliminary inquiry into the allegations, based on a complaint by IPS officer D. Roopa, and closed the inquiry, RTI documents revealed. The agency will now have to begin the probe afresh, following a specific order from the government, a copy of which is available with The Hindu. Senior ACB officials said they were yet to receive the order.

Departmental inquiry

Two officials — Chief Superintendent Krishna Kumar and Deputy Superintendent Anitha — who were posted at Parappana Agrahara when the alleged irregularities took place will face departmental inquiry. Based on the findings of the preliminary inquiry, the Vinay Kumar panel has recommended a CID probe.

Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy told The Hindu that the government had accepted the panel’s report in totality and had taken measures to implement all recommendations.

The State government has also accepted the recommendations on jail reforms. The ADGP (Prisons) has been directed to prepare within three months a Revised Prison Manual, based on the Union Home Ministry’s Model Prison Manual, 2016.

The Vinay Kumar panel said equipment such as CCTV cameras and mobile signal jammers were not maintained properly and this led to malfunction; to correct this, the supplier should be put in charge of maintenance for a certain period. It also found that undertrials and convicts were housed together, in violation of the prison manual. Directions have been issued in this regard too. The committee also recommended a probe by the Department of Personnel and Administration Reforms against Ms. Roopa and Mr. Rao for violation of service rules.

Asked about the probe, Ms. Roopa told The Hindu that she was fully aware of the service rules. There were many Supreme Court rulings which stated that exposing maladministration in an organisation was not criticism of the government. “So what I did was exposing corruption, it was not against the government... it was not criticism of the government. In 2014, new phrases were added to the All-India Services Rules that a public servant should act in a manner that is accountable and transparent. So I have acted only as per that.”

CCTV footage

On the CCTV visuals showing Ms. Sasikala and her relative Ilavarasi entering the prison from the main gate in plain clothes, she said the Karnataka Prison Manual mandated all convicts to wear white uniforms.

Any violation would attract action, including an extension in the term of the sentence.

Ms. Roopa said the matter should have been investigated along with the complaint of one Muthumanickam, who had specifically alleged that he had seen the convict outside the prison. “It was not my finding that they went out and stayed elsewhere etc.; it is a complaint received from Muthumanickam and there is also this video showing them walking inside in plainclothes and with shopping bags.”

“I have given a detailed statement but they [the ACB] would only investigate the corruption angle [and not the charge of the inmates entering the prison through the main gate]... I don’t know, maybe the prison authorities can take it up... Whether the ACB will limit itself to the exchange of money or probe the undue privileges extended to the convicts remains to be seen... They should look into every angle,” she said.