There was a 12-hour blackout on Thursday at the Chanchalguda Central Prison where several high-profile under-trials including Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and former minister Mopidevi Venkatramana are lodged.
As news of the blackout spread, supporters of the YSR Congress chief started a rumour that it was a conspiracy to eliminate Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The power cut was reported in the early hours of Thursday at the prison. Jail officials said one of the phases in the new prison block had developed glitches but power was restored by pulling a line from the old prison block which is empty.
In-charge superintendent of Chanchalguda prison, Venkateshwar Reddy said, “We immediately addressed the problem by disconnecting the third phase from the old prison block and connecting it to the new prison block which holds all the inmates. The electricity department rectified the problem by Thursday evening.
“There was no issue about the security of the inmates, including the special prisoners, being compromised. The charges are baseless.” Mr Jagan’s wife Bharathi Reddy had filed a petition in the HC seeking security for her husband in jail but the authorities had submitted a report stating that security was given to special category prisoners as per norms.
There are 11 high-profile undertrials including Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy and his aide Sunil Reddy, former excise minister Mopidevi Venkatramana, suspended IAS officers B.P. Acharya, Y. Srilakshmi and K.V. Brahmanand Reddy, industrialists Nimagadda Prasad and Koneru Prasad.