8 years after convict walked out of prison on fake Supreme Court order, jail staff held

Eight years after a life convict walked out of Bengaluru Central Prison on the basis of a forged Supreme Court order, the city police recently arrested the convict and a prison staff member for their alleged roles in the case.

The case came to light in May this year after the Superintendent (in-charge) of Bengaluru Central Prison lodged a complaint following the discovery that the release order submitted in the name of convict Shankar A Aradhya was fake.

The Parappana Agrahara police subsequently registered a case against Aradhya for forgery, cheating and other offences under the Indian Penal Code. According to the complaint, Aradhya had been serving a life sentence in a 2001 kidnapping-for-ransom case registered by the Chickpet police.

He was convicted by the Fast Track Court-I and sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 on July 12, 2004. His appeals before the Karnataka High Court and later the Supreme Court were unsuccessful, with the sentence being upheld.

A senior police officer said Aradhya had frequently been released on parole and that during one such period, his wife came in contact with Srikanth S, who was then working as a Second Division Assistant (SDA) in the Convict Section of the prison.

The Convict Section handles clerical and procedural work relating to prisoners, including maintaining conviction and warrant records, calculating dates relating to admission and release, and processing documentation connected with parole and release.

“Aradhya’s wife approached him (Srikanth) seeking help to get her husband released from prison. Srikanth allegedly demanded Rs 12 lakh, assuring her that he could arrange his release,” the police officer added. The police said Aradhya’s family managed to arrange Rs 6 lakh, which was allegedly paid to Srikanth.

Investigators suspect that he subsequently forged a copy of a Supreme Court order in Aradhya’s criminal appeal, making it appear that the top court had directed his release. Aradhya inherited a construction business from his father, the police said.

According to the complaint, prison authorities received documents in November 2018 purportedly showing that the Supreme Court had ordered Aradhya’s release. The documents allegedly showed an order dated November 2, 2018.

Acting on the documents, prison authorities released Aradhya from Bengaluru Central Prison on November 13, 2018, after he paid the fine purportedly imposed by the court. The alleged forgery was detected later during an internal verification of the release documents.

The papers were sent to the Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court for verification, following which the court authorities confirmed that the order was fake. This prompted the prison authorities to lodge the complaint in May this year.

The police have now arrested Aradhya and Srikanth, who was working as a First Division Assistant in the Convict Section until his arrest. The police also questioned Aradhya’s wife during the investigation. She allegedly told investigators that the then chief superintendent of the prison had assisted them in securing her husband’s release.

The police are now examining the role of the former chief superintendent and other prison personnel involved in processing and acting on the forged order. Both Aradhya and Srikanth have been produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.