Jail turns jamboree for well-heeled

HYDERABAD: They may be in jail but they are living it up. In style. Their rivals and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) may be gloating that they finally netted them and put them behind the bars but life in prison is a song and dance for them.
The accused in the illegal mining scam, Gali Janardhan Reddy, B Srinivas Reddy, Rajagopal and those in the Emaar scam Koneru Prasad, Sunil Reddy and Raghavan and Vijay Sai Reddy in the Jagan assets case have brought prominence to the Central Prison, Chanchalguda and how.
If earlier they used to operate from their offices before arrest, now it is like practically the offices have come to the door step of the Chanchalguda jail.
The teams ensure that their bosses lack nothing that can possibly be given to them inside the jail. And this includes new buckets, mugs, towels and what not. They are literally on their toes all through the day. And one knock on the huge prison gate, the entry door opens in a jiffy for them. Loads of snacks including biscuits, sweets, chips and several varieties of Haldiram's products are sent at regular intervals into the prison. The daily parcel also includes a variety of fruits.
But that is now all, at the Old Hospital Block in the prison where the bigwigs who have got special category status from the court have been kept, prison life is hardly a punishment.
"They are in judicial custody, so it is the responsibility of the jail to take good care of them," Sushil Kumar, advocate of Vijay Sai Reddy told TOI.
Except for Sunil Reddy and Raghavan who are yet to get special class prisoner status, the rest enjoy the special food that is made for them from their own kitchen.
"They eat whatever they want and at any time," sources said. And just so that their bosses in the prison can have what tickles their taste buds, the teams functioning from outside the jail get them what is being ordered.
According to sources, in the resort-like atmosphere in the jail, Gali Janardhan Reddy makes sure he goes for a walk. Like other prisoners in the jail, the special class prisoners too have the facility of playing badminton.
When any of the bigwigs in the prison have visitors, it is a scene to be watched outside the jail. One of the men parks himself right in front of the jail gate, another two or three clearing the traffic for the vehicle in which the visitor would drive in. The teams work with so much of precision that the visitor, be it a family member, or an advocate, can straight enter the prison without even having to wait. The gate opens as if automatically. The one-inch hole on the gate is enough for the jail personnel manning it from inside to recognize the visitor and open it in the split of a second.
Vijay Sai Reddy dressing, stylish as it is every time he goes to the court, is a reflection on the organizing capabilities of his backroom boys outside the jail who await for orders from inside as they stand under the tree or the waiting area under the asbestos roof.
It is learnt that recently, the teams even got an AC and a make-shift toilet to be taken inside for Vijay Sai Reddy but jail officials would not allow that.
The 'Satyam team' is also as active as the recent teams that have got added. Though Ramalinga Raju himself is out on bail, the others are still there and their needs are met.
According to sources, Vijay Sai Reddy took a paltry Rs 250 into the jail while Koneru Prasad took Rs 1,820. Rajagopal, Sunil Reddy and Raghavan reportedly did not take any money into the jail. Earlier Gali Janardhan Reddy and B Srinivas Reddy took around Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 each into the prison, all of which is deposited with the jail authorities. They can buy whatever they want to from the jail canteen also from the additional money that they can get from their visitors which should be deposited with the prison authorities.
A spectacle is being played out in front of the jail gate for the local residents who are amused at some of the most expensive cars showing up there with visitors for the bigwigs inside it.