'VIP Darshan' to Actor Dileep: TDB Issues Notices to Four Officials
Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Dec 8: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has issued show cause notices to four officials for allegedly facilitating "VIP darshan" for Malayalam actor Dileep at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala during the ongoing pilgrimage season.
TDB president P S Prasanth on Sunday said that the officials were served notices after lapses were identified, which reportedly disrupted the darshan of several devotees for a few minutes.
"Stringent action will be taken after receiving their explanations," Prasanth told reporters at Sannidhanam.
The incident sparked controversy after reports emerged that Dileep was granted special darshan at the Sabarimala shrine on Thursday, during the highly crowded Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, which draws massive numbers of devotees from Kerala and neighboring states.
The Kerala High Court on Friday slammed the police and the TDB for providing "VIP darshan" to actor Dileep at the hill shrine on December 5 which "hindered" darshan of many devotees who had stood in line for several hours.
A bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S questioned on what basis such privilege was given to the actor and directed that the CCTV footage of the same be submitted in the court.
The court took up the issue on its own based on news reports of the "special VIP darshan" given to Dileep, prompting the TDB to act against the officials.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
