Sasikala jail bribery row: Karnataka cop Roopa Moudgil sued by former boss

Former senior Indian Police Service officer HN Sathyanarayana Rao has filed a Rs 20-crore defamation case against Karnataka’s ex-deputy inspector general of prisons Roopa D Moudgil, who alleged that AIADMK leader VK Sasikala received preferential treatment in Bengaluru Central Prison by paying a bribe.

Ex-director general of police (prisons) Rao, who moved the civil court in Bengaluru on Monday, has also included an English newspaper and a regional language news channel in his suit against the allegations made against him by Moudgil.

PN Jayadeva, counsel for Rao, told the Hindustan Times that the judge posted the matter on December 12 and issued a notice to Moudgil. Jayadeva said the case against Moudgil was brought in pursuance of a legal notice issued to her in July.

Rao, who retired in August, has denied all allegations and sought a public apology from Moudgil.

Moudgil had said in a controversial report that she heard allegations that Sasikala paid a bribe of Rs 2 crore to senior prison officials, including Rao, for getting privileged treatment, which, among other things, included a private kitchen.

She was subsequently transferred as the inspector general of police and commissioner for traffic and road safety in Bengaluru.

Moudgil said she was not aware of the case and would wait for the court’s notice.

“The question of corruption that my report had highlighted has still not been addressed,” she said.

Moudgil, however, said that the terms of reference of the probe did not include the allegation of corruption.

“I was not asked about the corruption angle and neither were Sasikala’s aides questioned,” she said. “As that has not been ruled out there is no question of an apology,” she said.

A probe headed by retired Indian Administrative Service officer Vinay Kumar was ordered by the chief minister in July. Kumar refused to divulge the details of his report, saying he had submitted it a couple of months ago and it was being examined by the home department.