MYSURU: Slain forest brigand Veerappan’s aide Gnanaprakash was released on bail from the Mysuru Central Prison on Tuesday.
The 63-year-old Gnanaprakash was released on bail from prison at around 8.30 am. The prison authorities had received the court order on Monday evening and based on the court’s direction, he was released on Tuesday morning.
He will be visiting his native Sandhanapalya in Hanur taluk in Chamarajanagar district after spending 28 years in jail.
The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Gnanaprakash on November 26. Based on the order, advocate PP Baburaj had filed an application at the Chamarajanagar District and Sessions Court which ordered for the release of Gnanapakash furnishing surety of two persons and a Rs 5 lakh personal bond.
Gnanaprakash was not in the pink of his health for the past few years. Recently, he was detected to suffer from lung cancer during a medical checkup in KR Hospital. So he was sent for medical examination to Victoria Hospital and later Kidwai Cancer Hospital in Bengaluru for confirmation.
Mysuru Central Prison KC Divyshree told TNIE that Gnanaprakash was released after SC awarded interim bail.
“The SC will hear the case in February 2023 where it will decide whether to continue the bail or surrender,” he said.
Divyashree said that while two Simon and Bilavendran died due to age-related ailments, Gnanaprakash was suffering from ill health. Gnanaprakash was given any work in the jail due to health issues while Meesekara Madaiah works in the handloom unit.
Gnanaprakash along with Simon Anthonyappa, Meesekara Madaiah and Bilavendran were arrested for the killing of 22 policemen and injuring many others in the landmine blasts at Palar on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on 9 April 1993.
The four were part of the 124 persons who were arrested in connection with the case and booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Prevention Act in 1994. While 117 were acquitted, seven persons were sentenced to life imprisonment. Among them, the Supreme Court ordered death sentences to these four in connection with planting the mine.
The four who were housed in Mysuru Central Prison were shifted to Hindalga Central Prison in Belgaum in 2004 after SC awarded the death sentence. However, in 2014, the SC commuted their death sentence to life imprisonment. All four were shifted back to Mysuru Prison.
While Simon died in 2019, Bilavendra died in 2020 due to age-related ailments. Advocate Venugopal, who represented the four, had urged the government to release Madaiah and Gnanaprakash, considering their age and illness.