V. Sriharan alias Murugan, one of the life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court here on Thursday in connection with the alleged seizure of a mobile phone from his cell in prison.
He was escorted into a police vehicle from Vellore Central Prison, to the court buildings in Sathuvachari, Vellore. Clad in a saffron dress with a beard, he stopped for a while, claiming that he was tired due to a fast he had been observing in the prison. Later, he cooperated with the policemen and went straight into the court hall.
Murugan was produced before the Judicial Magistrate-I (in-charge) D. Nisha in the case regarding illegal possession of mobile phones. The magistrate posted the matter for November 13. He was accused of the same offence in March 2017, when police recovered a mobile phone, SIM card and a charger. This time, police recovered a mobile phone, with a SIM card and a memory card from the cell of Murugan, who was lodged in a high-security prison in Vellore on October 18. A police case has been registered against him for this offence.
Speaking to mediapersons at the court, he claimed that the mobile phone was planted to destroy his parole plan. He said that his cell was in a high security zone, and wondered how a convict could get a mobile phone without drawing the attention of security in the prison. He said that he has been under fast for the past 14 days, consuming only water, and has been able to withstand the pressure exerted by prison officials owing to God’s grace.
