Tihar relaxed rules to allow MK to meet daughter

CHENNAI: Tihar jail authorities apparently relaxed norms to allow DMK chief M Karunanidhi to visit his daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in prison following directions from prison headquarters, information available through an RTI has revealed.In a reply to an RTI filed by V Anbazhagan of Poonamallee near Chennai on June 4, the Office of the Superintendent of Central Jail Number Six in New Delhi said the former chief minister visited his daughter on May 23 at 5.46 pm after visiting hours were relaxed for his visit.As per the prison’s rules, relatives and friends of prisoners are allowed to meet them between 9.30 am to 1.00 pm while the mulakat with advocate, counsels and embassy officials is allowed between 3.30 pm and 5.30 pm. No public meeting is allowed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.Interestingly, Tihar jail officials relaxed the visiting hours for a second time on Tuesday when Karunanidhi met Kanimozhi again after she was refused bail by the Supreme Court.Further, prison authorities failed to furnish information relating to the name and designation of the authority who granted such a relaxation.Anbazagan asked why the Tihar authorities were shying away from furnishing those details. “They should come clean on who gave the permission to relax the rules,” he added.The Tihar prison authorities, for their part, have maintained that in special circumstances or when relatives have come from afar to meet the inmates, visiting hours could be relaxed.The RTI information also revealed that Karunanidhi was frisked during his visit to Tihar jail.