VIP treatment to Sasikala: Bengaluru-advocate requests anti-corruption bureau probe

ACB should probe the alleged jail irregularities. Bengaluru-based advocate S Nataraj Sharma has filed a complaint with the ACB requesting for a probe. The advocate said that if the ACB does not initiate inquiry he would then approach the high court.

A Bengaluru-based advocate has lodged a complaint with the anti-corruption bureau requesting it to initiate a probe into various jail irregularities, including the Rs 2 crore paid in bribe by AIDMK (Amma) general secretary V K Sasikala for preferential treatment in prison.

"I have lodged a complaint with the ACB, urging it to initiate an inquiry into the irregularities including Rs 2 crore exchanging hands to provide special facilities to Sasikala, inside Parapanna Agrahara Central Prison," S Nataraj Sharma told PTI.

The onus is now on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whose brainchild the ACB is, to initiate an inquiry by lodging a FIR against corrupt officials who have been named in former deputy inspector general (prisons) D Roopa's report, Sharma said.

However, he added that if the ACB does not initiate inquiry he would move the High Court seeking a judicial inquiry into the episode.

He also termed as "incomprehensible" the reason for former Karnataka director general of police (prisons) H N Sathyanarayana Rao serving a notice on Roopa seeking a public apology.

"It is out of comprehension, why should Rao, in a hurry, serve a legal notice to Roopa? He could have waited for Vinay Kumar's report," he said.

"You (D Roopa) are required to get an apology duly published in all leading newspapers in the next three days, failing which I will be constrained to initiate appropriate legal proceedings both civil and criminal against you to recover damages from you and the same is quantified as Rs 50 crore tentatively," Rao had said in the notice.

Rao also had said he would be approaching the income tax department to find out the "trail of Rs 2 crore".

DGP Rao in his notice has stated that Roopa has not submitted any documents to support her bribery charge. "This appears that Roopa was seeking publicity by making unsubstantiated charges," a television channel reported quoting DGP Rao's notice.

DIG (prisons) Roopa in her report had exposed the irregularities in the Central prison that included special privileges to Sasikala. She had further stated that Sasikala had paid Rs one crore to DGP Rao and another Rs one crore was shared among other jail officials allegedly in return for the special privileges. 

with PTI inputs