Bengaluru: Former AIADMK general secretary and close associate of the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, V.K. Sasikala Natarajan, has petitioned the Karnataka High Court to dismiss the case against her for allegedly receiving VIP treatment in the Central Prison of Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru, along with her aide J. Ilavarasi.
On Monday, the Lokayukta police were given notice by the investigating bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna, and the hearing was continued to June 28. In her petition, Sasikala Natarajan alleged that she was falsely portrayed as the victim of the case.
The petition claims that top IPS officers of Karnataka, Satyanarayana Rao and Roopa Moudgil, were falsely accused of wrongdoing because of a rivalry of professional prestige. After IPS officer Roopa claimed that the petitioner was receiving VIP treatment in the prison, the government ordered an investigation.
On October 21, 2017, a report was submitted by a committee led by IAS officer Vinay Kumar. On February 26, 2018, the report was approved by the state administration. According to the petitioner, the report does not provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations made under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The High Court has already dismissed the charges against government employees Krishna Kumar, B. Suresh, and Gajaraja Makanur. “This makes the legal proceedings against the petitioner against the law,” stated the petitioner and requested the court to quash the case which is before the Lokayukta Special Court.
In 2017, after being found guilty by the Supreme Court in a case involving excessive assets, Sasikala was taken to jail.
It was alleged that Sasikala was allowed to wear personal clothes and was given a cook. There was a pressure cooker and seasonings in her cell. A special visiting area was set aside for her, and the jail's main corridor was blocked off just for her. Sasikala was given complete mobility.
The CCTV footage showed Sasikala talking to a visitor for four hours, and footage also showed Sasikala and Ilavarasi moving out of their block holding a bag, sources said.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah initiated the probe. In her report IPS officer Roopa mentioned that there was a talk that Rs 2 crore had exchanged hands to ensure preferential treatment to Sasikala, and she also claimed that there were allegations on her senior officer, then DGP Prisons Satyanarayana Rao also.
The Siddaramaiah government was severely embarrassed by what happened. Later, the government ordered an investigation and transferred both cops.—Inputs from Agencies