Bangalore Mirror: Bangalore: Friday, June 16, 2017.
Concessions
for Sasikala have reduced in past two months, an RTI reply shows. So, limited
number of visitors, and none after 5 pm, unlike earlier.
Once bitten,
twice shy. Officials at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail seem to be following
the rules to a tee after drawing flak for allowing too many people to visit VK
Sasikala, sometimes beyond the stipulated visiting hours.
Sasikala, her
niece J Ilavarasi and nephew Sudhakaran V are serving time in Parappana
Agrahara jail in the disproportionate assets case filed against former Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister, the late J Jayalalithaa, in 1996.
In April,
social activist T Narasimha Murthy dug out information about visitors for
Sasikala and gang between February 16 and March 18. He claimed that although
Sasikala was entitled to only two visits/interviews with friends, relatives and
advocates a month (undertrials are allowed one visit/interview once in a week;
convicts one visit/interview every 15 days), she had been allowed 14 such
visits.
Murthy
alleged that officials didn’t follow the rules and were favouring Sasikala,
whom Jayalalithaa once described as “the sister she never had”. He also alleged
that visitors were being allowed way beyond the official deadline of 5 pm.
On the other
hand, prison officials maintained that allowing visitors and fixing timings was
the discretion of the jail’s chief superintendent; however, they maintained
that no rules had been flouted in Sasikala’s case.
Despite
defending themselves, the prison authorities seem to have learnt their lesson
and are not allowing too many visitors and not beyond 5 pm.
As per the
information under RTI, between March 20 and May 31, Sasikala and gang had
visitors 18 times Sasikala 11 times, Ilavarasi five, and Sudhakaran two times.
In all, close
to over 30 people visited the three prisoners. And in all cases, visitors were
allowed only during the official 11 am- 5 pm bracket (earlier, visitors had
been allowed at 6.20 pm, even at 6.40 pm).
“As per
norms, in these two-and-a-half months, Sasikala should have been allowed five
visits but she got 11. In the case of Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran, visits were
within the specified number. Although officials claim that visits are covered
under discretionary powers of the chief superintendent, it is so only under
extraordinary
circumstances.
They should explain what the extraordinary circumstance was in Sasikala’s
case,” Murthy said.
Meanwhile,
the RTI replies also showed that no work has been allotted to Sasikala as she
was undergoing simple imprisonment and earning or working inside didn’t apply
in her case. Also, she is not being allowed outside food and is being served
only prison food.
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