The Former IT&BT minister is currently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail after bail was denied to him in the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board land scam case.
Former IT&BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, currently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail after bail was denied to him in the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board land scam case, did not attend flag hoisting as the 65th Independence Day was celebrated in jail on Monday.
Although Katta knew that Independence Day celebrations would be held in jail, he did not attend. His son Katta Jagadish, also lodged in prison, and associate SV Srinivas, managing director of Ithasca Software, were also missing from the jail’s Independence Day function.
Other prisoners were surprised that the former minister gave Independence Day celebrations a miss. He was earlier seen walking around the premises, so others in prison expected to see him.
“Is this not rather disrespectful to the nation? Katta steps out of his cell almost every day, and he talks to other prisoners here. But he could not be present for the Independence Day function,” a prisoner said,
On Monday, however, Katta did not step out for his walk within the prison; he performed no warm-up exercises either. “Today, he just walked in his cell,” a police officer said.
“Katta is no terrorist or notorious criminal. It is not as if he would not be allowed to participate in the Independence Day function. Many notorious criminals are here today. Even they had some respect for their motherland, but not Katta,” said one prisoner.
Prison officials, however, had more rational responses to Katta’s absence.
“Katta is in the high-security wing of the prison. There are terrorists, notorious criminals and rowdies lodged in that cell. Generally, such people are not invited to Independence Day celebrations. That is why Katta and his son stayed away from the flag hoisting function on Monday. We know that Katta has also served as a minister, and that he would not harm anyone if he was let out for the celebrations on Monday. However, because of the cell in which Katta and his son are lodged, they were not allowed out,” said TH Lakshminarayana, chief superintendent, Parappana Agrahara.
Katta has reportedly also said that he did not wish to have a television in his cell, as he did not want to hear news reports of his time in jail.
The TV that was earlier fitted in his cell was thus removed and placed elsewhere.
Earlier, Katta was sullen over the fact that despite having a TV in his cell, he could not watch it as it had not been wired up and made operational.
Lakshminarayana said, “Katta is in normal health. He undergoes routine medical check-ups to monitor blood pressure and diabetes. Medicines are supplied to him from his house. That is what the former minister has opted for.”
Katta is also supplied all meals from home. Visitors too make an appearance, although the number of visitors has come down drastically since his first days in jail.
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