After Campaign to Save Cows, Govt Bats for Prisoners Now

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 1: In a bid to mount pressure on governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj to give his consent for the state government’s move to release 593 prisoners, the B S Yeddyurappa regime has threatened to approach President Pratibha Patil if Raj Bhavan persisted with its rejection yet again.
               
It may be recalled that the governor, who had been insisting on adherence to following the norms before approving the BJP government’s proposal for releasing 593 prisoners at one go and had returned the file sent to him by the state’s prisons department for the third time, had turned down the proposal on the eve of the Independence Day celebrations.
               
Prisons minister Umesh V Katti told reporters on Wednesday September 1 that he had asked his department officials to submit all the details sought by the governor regarding the convicts within the next few days.
               
Details regarding the prison sentence already completed, convictions, the conduct during the period of imprisonment and police reports would be furnished to enable the governor to take an early decision, he said.

“I will meet the President if the governor rejects the file again,” he said and wondered why Raj Bhavan was not accepting the state government’s request.

''We will impress upon the President to issue necessary directions to the governor to take an early decision after examining all aspects,” he said pointing out that convicts who have shown good conduct in jails had been released in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

It may be mentioned here that the state home minister Dr V S Acharya and law and parliamentary affairs minister S Suresh Kumar along with advocate general had already met the governor in this regard.

The minister said the governor has requested the government to furnish all facts along with the recommendations of the government on each convict sought to be released (to enable the governor examine each case) under Article 161 of the Constitution.

It should be noted here that a section of the life convicts in the Central prison had staged an agitation demanding their early release.

Answering questions on the public criticism and opposition from former state High Court judge, Justice M F Saldanha, for the release of prisoners lodged in various jails even before they completed their sentences on the grounds that such an action would send a wrong message and affect the maintenance of land and order situation, Katti said there was no basis for such apprehensions.

There were no mala-fide intentions behind the government’s proposal for the release of convicts, he said.

Anti-cow slaughter bill
 
The Yeddyurappa regime has been exerting pressure on its controversial legislation, The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2010, which did not get the governor’s assent and was sent to the President for examination.

With opposition Congress and JD(S) leaders from the state meeting the President separately demanding that the controversial bill should not be approved, the chief minister took it upon himself to meet the President in New Delhi demanding early clearance of the bill.

The governor had taken strong exception to the Yeddyurappa regime’s attempts to exert pressure on the governor and the Centre to give early clearance to the anti-cow slaughter bill, which had been publicly opposed by several leaders and even dalit leaders while the Hindu religious pontiffs have been its ardent votaries.

Services of private security agency terminated
 
Replying to another question, Katti said the private security agency, Terrier Security Services (India) Pvt Ltd, had been entrusted with the task of deploying its securing guards to provide security in 12 prisons in the state.
In view of the failure of a private security agency to deploy qualified candidates to guard 12 prisons, the state government has decided to stop services of that agency and call fresh tenders again to hire candidates.

The department had hired the private security personnel from August 1 after a legislature committee studied the unlawful activities in several prisons, especially at the Parappana Agrahara prison, and submitted a report suggesting ways of countering them.

As per the terms of appointment of the agency, it was required to deploy its 400 security personnel to guard Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bangalore (110 personnel), and at the prisons in Belgaum (30), Bellary (40), Bijapur (22), Gulbarga (30), Mysore (64), Dharwad (20), Hassan (14), Madikeri (10), Mangalore (24), Tumkur (24) and Mandya (12).

But the agency posted only 278 personnel, Katti said and the government chose to terminate the contract for failure to meet the stipulated conditions.