Police file statement of objection to actor Darshan's plea seeking home-cooked food and other facilities at Parappana Agrahara

Bengaluru: The police have filed a statement of objection to actor Darshan Thoogudeepa's plea seeking home cooked food and other facilities at Parappana Agrahara central prison in Bengaluru.

The actor is in judicial custody as an undertrial in the Renukaswamy murder case.

Justice SR Krishna Kumar adjourned the hearing to Friday afternoon as the government advocate sought time.

The actor had filed a petition seeking access to home cooked food, clothes, bedding, books etc.

In the statement of objections filed before the court, the police have contended that as per the prevailing prison rules, the actor being an undertrial prisoner accused of murder is not to be treated on par with the other prisoners. It is submitted that the provisions of the Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Services Manual-2021 provides that an under-trial prisoner accused of murder shall be searched in the presence of the in-charge officer. Further, such prisoners are not permitted to retain their own clothing, bedding, footwear and cutleries.

“In the present case at hand, the petitioner who is accused of committing murder is squarely covered under the above-mentioned rules and hence, he is not entitled for the relief sought in the present writ petition,” the statement said.

It is further stated that as per section 30 of the Karnataka Prisons Act, 1963 an undertrial prisoner may seek to maintain himself and purchase or receive privately sourced food, clothing, bedding or writing materials, books or newspapers and other necessaries, subject to examination and approval by the Inspector General of the concerned prison. 

“In the present case at hand, no such request has been made by the petitioner with a prayer to permit him to access home food supplied by his family or the bedding to the concerned authority. Further, even if such a request is to be made, the same would still be at the discretion of the Inspector-General who upon considering the relevancy and the necessity would pass suitable orders,” the statement of objections said.