Thiruvananthapuram: Former minister and Kerala
Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai, serving a one-year
rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case since February
last, will have to spend an additional four days in the jail
for making phone calls in violation of prison rules.
A jail official, who probed the charge against Pillai has
said in his report to the ADGP (Prison) that this was the
penalty to be imposed on a prisoner for making phone calls in
breach of prison rules, official sources said.
Pillai, who has been shifted to a super speciality hospital
for treatment some three weeks ago, landed in trouble last
week after he spoke to a local TV channel reporter over phone.
The phone conversation, aired by the channel despite
Pillai`s plea to keep it confidential, happened a day after a
teacher in school owned by him was found brutally attacked.
The LDF opposition immediately seized on the issue to
embarrass the Congress-led UDF Government, in which KC(B) is a
partner, by linking Pillai`s phone use and the attack on the
teacher.
An LDF delegation led by opposition leader V S
Achuthanandan yesterday called on Governor M O H Farook urging
him to prevail upon the government to order a judicial probe
into "undue facilities" extended to Pillai.
The LDF leaders argued special treatment extended to Pillai
amounted to sabotaging the rule of law and undermining the
Supreme Court judgement which held him guilty in a corruption
case.
According to the Prison Act, speaking to a prisoner over
phone is also an offence which could earn imprisonment upto
one year and a fine of Rs 10,000.
PTI
