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Aides set to reunite with Veerappan

Hindalga jail, located in Belgaum, is in limelight again as it prepares to hang four associates of slain forest brigand Veerappan.

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Hindalga jail, located in Belgaum, is in limelight again as it prepares to hang four associates of slain forest brigand Veerappan.

It is expected that Gnanaprakasham, Simon, Meesekara Madaiah and Bilavendran, convicted for killing 22 policemen and forest personnel in 1993, may be hanged any moment. Despite speedy preparations, jail authorities have been denying the rumours.

Jail medical officer Dr Vasant Yamakanamaradi admitted that a medical check-up has been conducted on the convicts.  “They are all healthy and well aware that they will be hanged soon,” he said.

Sources in jail have also revealed that all the four were shifted to separate cells on Saturday night.  “They insisted on having bath late at night and were fed sweets according to their wish,” sources said.

Rehearsals of the hanging have been going on for the last three-four days under direction of retired jailor Siddappa Kambale. According to rules, convicts should be hanged within 14 days of rejection of mercy petition by the President.

However, considering Saibanna’s case, who has approached the high court questioning the eight-year delay in deciding on his mercy petition, jail authorities are awaiting the SC direction to execute the order.

The four Veerappan associates were awarded death sentence in 2004. Considering the refusal of the Supreme Court to take up the trial petition filed by the convicts, apex court advocate Shanta Fonseka, in Belgaum for the last two days, hoped that the order may not be executed for 2-3 more days.

“As Chief Justice Altamas Kabir himself refused to take up the petition for trial, it can be assumed that there is no possibility of hanging in 2-3 days,” she opined.

She, however, claimed that the jail officials were not allowing her to take the convicts’ signature on the application to request the Supreme Court to reduce their death sentence to lifetime imprisonment.  

“Till the last minute, we will try our best to save them,” she said, warning that she would start a legal battle against the jail officials if they don’t allow her to take signature of her clients.

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