BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday convicted two former jail officials – P.N. Jayasimha, the then Superintendent of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison and Nanjappa, the then Assistant Superintendent in connection with multi-crore stamp paper racket.
The two were arrested in 2003 on charges of facilitating the kingpin of the Stamp Paper racket, Abdul Karim Telgi, to run his business from the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. They were the first government officials to be arrested in connection the stamp paper scam.
In 2010, a special court acquitted them, and they were reinstated in service. However, CBI appealed against their acquittal before the High Court, and on Wednesday the division bench comprising Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Micheal D' Cunha held them guilty of charges under section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The cases were registered following accusations that Telgi had been using his mobile phones to carry out his operations including circulation of fake stamps from the Central Prison at Parapana Agrahara. The two, who were then posted as jail officials, were accused of illegally facilitating Telgi to receive several visitors in jail against prisons rules, along with charges of assisting him to run his operation from the jail.
The police officials after arresting them stated that Telgi was monitoring the operations of fake stamps business run by his associates using different mobile phones from the jail.
Further investigations had revealed that Telgi had received huge funds from his associates even when he was in jail and some part of the money received was passed on to Jayasimha and Nanjpappa, the police stated after the arrest of the two.
The CBI in its appeal had argued that the jail officials had facilitated Telgi with a separate TV set with VCD facility, mobile phones, outside food and other facilities.
Tainted official was close to Jayalalithaa
After the Special Court acquitted him, former Superintendent of Parappana Agrahara prison, P.N. Jayasimha, had served in various capacities in prison department and it may be recalled that he had maximum access to the former Tamil Nadu CM late J. Jayalalithaa during her stay in the jail.
