Phoolan Devi’s alleged killer scripts life for screen

Rana,main accused for then Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan’s murder,has moved a city court to allow him to give interviews to a few magazines and TV channels,who want to know more about the film and its script.

He has filed an application before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav,who is overseeing Rana’s trial for his jailbreak in 2004 — he was arrested two years later from Kolkata. The murder accused has sought permission to sit for dialogues with a few media personnel,as he wanted to communicate what inspired him to write the script and other unknown facts about the alleged killing.

Rana said he is interested in playing himself in the film,which will reportedly be produced by Jagjeet Singh Walia.

Taking his application on record,CMM Yadav asked the Superintendent of Tihar Jail to respond to his application. The matter will come up for hearing in the first week of July.

Newsline contacted jail officials for their opinion on Rana’s request. It is expected that besides the jail manuals,there is a Supreme Court judgment that would come into play before the court grants a permission.

Advocating for a discretionary right that the Jail Superintendent would have in such cases,Tihar’s Law Officer Sunil Gupta said a superintendent was expected to furnish his opinion on the basis of background of the applicant.

“Moreover,there is a 1999-apex court ruling which settles the law by balancing Right of Press under Article 19 (1) (a),the Right of the Prisoners under Article 21 and reasonable restrictions which can be put on such interviews. Besides willingness on the part of the inmate and the media to interview him or her,the court has also mandated that permission would be granted subject to the jail manuals and rules,” Gupta said.

Rana,along with 11 others,had allegedly conspired and killed the bandit-turned-politician Phoolan to avenge the 1981 Behmai massacre,in which she had killed 17 people of the Thakur caste — to which Rana belongs.

The assailants had dropped their weapons at the murder spot after killing Phoolan Devi outside her 44,Ashoka Road residence on July 25,2001.