Senior Karnataka Prisons Officer DIG M. Somashekar Arrested Over Forged Supreme Court Order Used to Free Murder Convict Karnataka DIG of Prisons M. Somashekar has been taken into police custody for allegedly authorizing the unlawful 2018 release of a life convict from Bengaluru Central Jail using a fabricated Supreme Court order. A high-ranking officer in the Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Services Department has been arrested following revelations of an orchestrated scheme to release a convicted murderer on fabricated judicial documents. DIG of Prisons M. Somashekar, currently posted in Kalaburagi, was taken into custody after investigators linked him directly to the unlawful release of a life convict during his previous tenure as the Chief Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Jail. The convict had remained out of custody for nearly eight years before the criminal breach was formally uncovered. Fabricated Apex Court Order and a Rapid Release The origins of the case trace back to November 2018 at Bengaluru Central Jail, also known as Parappana Agrahara. The convict, Shankar Aradhya, had been prosecuted by the Chickpet police station in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a minor child for ransom. The trial court convicted him and sentenced him to life imprisonment in July 2004. Under normal legal procedures, he was required to serve out his life term in prison. However, on November 13, 2018, Aradhya walked out of prison after prison authorities acted upon a forged document presented as an official ruling from the Supreme Court. The paperwork was dated November 2, 2018, and within just 11 days of its appearance, prison officials processed his formal discharge. Subsequent official inquiries confirmed that no such order had ever been delivered by the Supreme Court. Investigators determined that Srikanth S., who was then serving as a second-division assistant in the convict prisoner section of the jail, had allegedly manufactured the counterfeit judicial decree. Internal Complaint Stalled for Four Years The irregular discharge did not go unnoticed within the correctional system. A formal complaint had been raised by an individual from within the department alleging that Aradhya secured his liberty entirely on forged documents. Despite the seriousness of a fraudulent release in a capital murder case, the petition remained dormant and unaddressed for nearly four years under administrative inaction. Momentum returned to the inquiry only after Alok Kumar took charge as the Director General of Police (DGP) for Prisons and Correctional Services. The pending allegations were brought to the forefront, initiating an extensive internal inquiry. Following preliminary findings that substantiated the fraud, the in-charge superintendent of Bengaluru Central Jail filed a criminal complaint at the Parappana Agrahara police station on May 20, 2026. This formal police case officially reopened the long-suppressed matter. Re-Arrest of the Convict and Custodial Remand of the DIG Following the registration of the FIR, investigative units tracked down the movements of Shankar Aradhya. After his unauthorized release in late 2018, Aradhya had stayed in Bengaluru before shifting his base to Mysuru to evade notice. Police arrested him in July 2026, putting an end to his eight-year evasion of life imprisonment. The assistant accused of manufacturing the document, Srikanth S., was also arrested, while Aradhya's wife was taken into judicial custody for her alleged role in facilitating the release. The investigation subsequently homed in on M. Somashekar, who oversaw the facility as Chief Superintendent when the document was accepted. Statements collected from personnel stationed in the convict prisoner section in 2018 indicated that Aradhya was discharged specifically on Somashekar's explicit instructions. Authorities are examining whether Somashekar had full knowledge of the document's fraudulent nature when he sanctioned the release. He was placed under arrest on October 4 and remanded to police custody until October 9 to facilitate detailed interrogation. Pattern of Preferential Treatment and Questionable Verifications Investigative material also revealed an earlier pattern of leniency granted to the convict. Records indicate that Aradhya had previously absconded while out on parole, an infraction that typically disqualifies an inmate from future temporary leave. Despite adverse remarks logged by prison staff regarding his conduct and eligibility, authorities granted him 15 days of parole on three separate occasions in 2018 alone. Another focal point of the investigation involves an unverified telephone record. Departmental paperwork indicates that during the identity and background verification procedure for Aradhya, Somashekar had dialed a telephone number purportedly belonging to the Chandra Layout police station. However, subsequent verification confirmed that the contact number had no official affiliation with that station. Detectives are currently tracing the chain of custody of the counterfeit document, determining how it entered the prison registry without formal court transmission channels, and identifying any other officials who abetted the scheme before final findings are presented to the court. What this means for you This case exposes critical vulnerabilities in prison record-keeping and highlights how administrative collusion can undermine court sentences and endanger public safety. • Across India: Correctional departments nationwide are likely to enforce stricter digital verification protocols for judicial release orders. Physical reliance on unverified court papers will face mandatory cross-checks against court registries to prevent fraudulent discharges. • In Karnataka: State authorities will likely initiate an exhaustive audit of historical release files and parole grants across major facilities. Administrative oversight in central prisons across Bengaluru and Kalaburagi will face immediate procedural tightening. • Impact on Legal Accountability: The arrest of a senior DIG-rank officer signals that officials who bypass vetting norms will face direct criminal prosecution. This sets a precedent against bureaucratic suppression of internal whistleblower complaints. • Public Safety: Police units are strengthening inter-agency verification mechanisms to ensure dangerous offenders convicted of violent crimes do not slip through administrative loopholes. Reopening stalled complaints reassures citizens that cold cases can still see judicial closure. Why this happened The fraudulent release occurred due to alleged internal collusion between prison administrative staff and the supervisory officer, coupled with a complete failure to cross-check court records. • Direct Cause: A fabricated decree bearing a counterfeit Supreme Court header was manufactured to secure the release of child kidnapping-murder convict Shankar Aradhya. Then Chief Superintendent M. Somashekar approved the discharge within 11 days without verifying the order with the Supreme Court registry. • Administrative Complicity: Second-division assistant Srikanth S. allegedly fabricated the forged paperwork directly within the convict prisoner section. A bogus telephone verification attributed to Chandra Layout police station was used to bypass official protocol. • Suppression of Internal Grievances: A whistleblower's complaint detailing the illicit release sat unaddressed for four years within the department. Formal investigative machinery was activated only when DGP Alok Kumar took charge and directed an immediate inquiry, leading to the FIR on May 20, 2026. Questions & Answers 1. Why was DIG M. Somashekar arrested? He was arrested for allegedly approving the illegal release of a life convict in 2018 using a forged Supreme Court order while serving as Chief Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Jail. 2. Who was the convict released on the fake order? The convict was Shankar Aradhya, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2004 for kidnapping and murdering a minor child in Chickpet. 3. How was the cold case reopened after several years? A four-year-old internal complaint was revived when DGP Alok Kumar assumed office, leading to an official FIR at Parappana Agrahara police station on May 20, 2026. 4. Who manufactured the counterfeit court order? Investigators found that Srikanth S., a second-division assistant working in the convict prisoner section, allegedly forged the document dated November 2, 2018. 5. Where was convict Shankar Aradhya apprehended? Aradhya lived in Bengaluru before relocating to Mysuru, where police tracked him down and arrested him in July 2026. 6. How long is DIG Somashekar in police custody? Following his arrest on October 4, the court remanded Somashekar to police custody until October 9 for interrogation. https://trendkia.com/en/crime/senior-karnataka-prisons-officer-dig-m-somashekar-arrested-over-forged-supreme-court-order-used-to-free-murder-convict-44021 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.