The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Officials, Minister visited Telgi in jail, says Jayasimha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 21, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Officials, Minister visited Telgi in jail, says Jayasimha

Staff Reporter

They too are responsible for the lapses, says former Superintendent of Bangalore prison

BANGALORE: The former Superintendent of the Bangalore Central Prison, Jayasimha, an accused in the multi-crore stamp paper racket case, on Thursday told the special court trying the cases that his superiors and former Minister of State for Prisons, Raja Amaresh Naik, too should be held responsible for the charges for which he is being tried.

After the argument on his bail applications was completed, Jayasimha sought the court's permission to make some remarks. On being permitted, Jayasimha claimed he then Director-General of Police and Inspector-General of Prisons, Krishna Murthy, the then Deputy Inspector-General of Prisons, Jayaramaiah, the then Home Secretary-2 and senior IPS officer, A.R. Infant, and the then Minister of State for Prisons, Raja Amaresh Naik, visited the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. They also visited the cell in which Abdul Kareem Telgi, the prime accused in the racket, was lodged, he said.

While Mr. Jayaramaiah had visited the prison 42 times, Dr. Krishna Murthy had made 15 visits to the prison. Mr. Infant and Mr. Naik had come to the prison once. During all these visits, all of them visited Telgi's cell, he said.

Jayasimha said that even when he was not on duty, Mr. Jayaramaiah visited the prison and Telgi's cell on several occasions. "If I am held responsible for the lapses, my superiors and the former Minister too are equally responsible," he said.

Earlier, Senior Special Public Prosecutor of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) B.R. Nanjundaiah, who continued with his arguments opposing the bail application, said that there is sufficient evidence in support of the charges against Jayasimha, who is accused of helping Telgi in spreading the business of illegal stamp paper racket when the latter was lodged in the Central Prison.

Mr. Nanjundaiah said the statements by witnesses as well as confessional statements of some accused support the charges against Jayasimha. He read out a portion of confession statement by Badruddin, which points out to the facilities provided to Telgi in the prison. He said the principles applied by the Supreme Court in granting bail to the former Mumbai Police Commissioner, R.S. Sharma, cannot be applied in the present case as the case is still in the initial stages.

In reply, B. Venkat Rao, Jayasimha's advocate, said there was nothing in the evidence to show that Jayasimha participated with Telgi and his aides in spreading the racket.

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