Jailor gives Jayalalithaa's thumb impression information

Chennai: The jailor of Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru on Friday appeared before the Madras high court and produced in a sealed cover, the prison register which contained the signature of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and also the soft copy of her thumb impression recorded in the E-Prison electronic device when she was in the prison following her conviction in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate wealth case.    

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Originally, the defeated DMK candidate Dr P. Saravanan filed an election petition, challenging the election of AIADMK candidate A.K. Bose in the Tirupparangundram byelection held in November last year. Contending that the left thumb impression of Jayalalithaa was obtained in Form A and B without her consent and knowledge while she was unconscious in the Apollo Hospital and with the connivance of the doctors who had attended on her, Saravanan’s counsel V. Arun filed the current affidavit. Saravanan contended that the decision of the Election Commission to accept the nomination papers of Bose had materially affected his election prospects.

When the case came up for hearing on November 24, Justice P. Velmurugan had directed the Superintendent of central prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru and the Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to produce the thumb impression of Jayalalithaa, if any available with them, before the court on December 8.

Accordingly, when the case came up for hearing on Friday, Mohana Kumar, the Jailor of Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru produced in a sealed cover the prison register which contained the signature of Jayalalithaa and the soft copy of her thumb impression which was obtained when she was admitted in the prison through the E-Prison electronic device.

He also informed the court that normally, the literate convicts affix their signature in the prison register and only the illiterate puts their thumb impression in the prison register. However, all the convicts thumb impression will be recorded in the E-Prison electronic device, he added. When the judge asked him whether the soft copy was certified as per section 65 B of the Evidence Act granting authenticity to it, the Jailor replied that he would get the certificate.

Y.L.P. Rao, Deputy Director General of UIDAI was also present in the court. His counsel from New Delhi informed the court that there was a bar under section 29 of the Aadhar Act from disclosing bio-metric details or information about the persons who obtained the Aadhar card. Under section 33, there can be identification of limited disclosure of five fields, i.e name, age, date of birth, sex and place of birth. When the judge asked him whether Jayalalithaa had applied and got Aadhar card, he said she applied and got the Aadhar card.

Asraf Ali, counsel for Bose, intervened and informed the court that the Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings this afternoon. The judge asked him what was the particular order and on which order, Bose has filed the SLP. Asraf Ali said the order dated November 24 summoning the thumb impression of Jayalalithaa from prison authorities and UIDAI has been challenged in the SLP. Recording the production of documents, the judge posted to December 15, further hearing of the case.