New Delhi, May 26: The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition filed by UP MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, booked under Gangsters Act and Pota, challenging a government order to lodge him at Kanpur prison despite a judicial direction to shift him to Naini jail at Allahabad. A vacation bench comprising Justice N Santosh Hegde and Justice Shivaraj V Patil dismissed the special leave petition filed by Raja Bhaiya after hearing detailed arguements from his counsel senior advocate G L Sanghi. Sanghi contended that according to a report filed by a jail visitor, the conditions of the asbestos sheet roofed barrack in which his client was lodged was inhuman as the heat of the summer was "excessive" causing suffocation.
He said that the designated court at Allahabad had on April 26 ordered transfer of the independent legislator from Kanpur prison to Naini jail but three days later the order was nullified through an administrative order.

The counsel argued that the administrative order appeared to be illegal as it had not been passed with due authorisation and requested the court to examine the order on this aspect.

Sanghi alleged that Raja Bhaiya had been harassed by the Mayawati government from the day he and other independent MLAs withdrew support to the coalition government in the state.
Bureau Report