The notices were delivered to deputy inspector general B S Tikare and superintendent of Yerawada Central Prison R B Chaudhari at T Singarvel's office this afternoon. The senior jail officials, who confirmed the reports, said, Tikare and Chaudhari have been asked to submit their written explanations to Singarvel within ten days.

The action comes close on the heels of the recovery of a cellular phone battery charger, some audio and video cassettes, two luxurious beds, some packets of dry-fruits and cash of Rs 27,530 from the Donje Yard of Yerawada jail and the cell in it where MLA Pappu Kalani has been lodged.

The recovery was made when a team of jail officials led by Singarvel himself carried out a search of the Donje Yard on November 4. The jail officials, who carried out the search, had also found some inmates visiting Pappu Kalani illegally in his cell at the time.

Five officials and 18 sentries from the Yerawada central prison whose involvement was suspected in providing various illegal facilities to jail inmates have already been transferred by T Singarvel.

Among these five officials were senior jailor R N Parade and jailors Sadanand Gaikwad, Nitin Waichal, R Z Chavan and Nagesh Patil. The senior jail officials said these five officials have also been served with notices and asked to submit their written explanations to Singarvel before December 10.

According to the jail officials, a preliminary inquiry by the deputy superintendent Mohammedbhai Mulani of the prison department's Vigilance Branch has revealed that some jail officials had tried to hush up the recovery of a cellular phone from Kalani's cell. It was recovered by the staffers of Yerawada Central Prison about a month before Singarvel carried out the search of Donje Yard and Kalani's cell.

Singarvel had decided to carry out a search of Donje Yard and Kalani's cell after receiving anonymous applications complaining that the MLA who is facing a TADA trial was using cellular phones to contact his associates from inside the jail.

Later, he had received a separate application alleging that some senior jail officials were involved in hushing up the recovery of a cellular phone from Kalani's cell in October.

Singarvel had assigned deputy superintendent Mohammedbhai Mulani to conduct an inquiry into the allegations.