A four-year old petition inside Bengaluru Central Prison had raised questions about the release of a life convict on a forged Supreme Court order, a case that has now led to the arrest of a senior prison official and allegations that he sexually exploited the convict’s wife while offering to help free her husband.
Police allege that Somashekar was aware that the document was forged and authorised Shankar’s release. The inquiry found that the Supreme Court order used to secure Shankar’s release was not genuine. Police later arrested S Srikanth, then a second division assistant in the Convict Prisoner Section. Investigators allege that Somashekar sexually exploited her while offering to help obtain her husband’s release. The allegation forms part of the police remand proceedings against him and has not been established by a court. Police have also alleged that Somashekar made video calls to the woman and asked her to strip.
M Somashekar, now deputy inspector general of prisons, North Range, was arrested on October 4 and remanded to police custody until October 9. He was the chief superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison in 2018, when Shankar A was released using the purported court order. The document was dated November 2, 2018, and Shankar was released from prison on November 13. The police case itself was registered on May 20, 2026, after the in charge superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison complained to Parappana Agrahara police that the Supreme Court order used to release Shankar was forged.
“While Srikanth had sought ₹ 12 lakh, she paid ₹ 6 lakh and then Shankar came out of the prison using the forged Supreme Court order,” a police officer said.
