Four years after being convicted by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets case, VK Sasikala, the aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, was formally released from the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bengaluru on Wednesday. However, as the former AIADMK General Secretary is being treated for COVID-19 at the Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, she is unlikely to return to Chennai soon. Her release also comes after the fine of over Rs 10 crore was remitted.
Jail officials completed all formalities with regard to Sasikala’s release from the hospital, where she is being treated. Legal documents confirming her release were signed at the hospital. A large number of Sasikala supporters waited outside the hospital, waving AMMK flags. A bulletin released by the hospital at 9am on Wednesday states that she is asymptomatic for COVID-19, and is conscious, alert and well-oriented. Her condition is stable, she is taking oral food normally and is walking with support, states the bulletin. Sasikala’s nephew Jeyanandh Dhivakaran told TNM that her quarantine ends on January 31 and is likely to come to Chennai within a week’s time.
The 66-year-old was on January 20 shifted from Parappana Agrahara jail, where she has been lodged since February 2017, to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru after complaints of fever and breathing difficulties. She was later moved to the ICU of the Victoria Hospital after her test returned positive for the novel coronavirus.
Incidentally, Sasikala’s sister-in-law J Ilavarasi, who was also convicted in the DA case and shared a jail cell with her, also tested positive for the coronavirus and was shifted from prison to the Victoria Hospital. Sasikala’s nephew VN Sudhakaran was also convicted in the DA case.
Sasikala’s release has been widely speculated for months coming as it does with just months to for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. Sasikala, however, is barred from contesting elections for another six years as per Section 8 of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1958 which disqualifies a person if convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Despite this, her release from jail is likely to shake up the political campaign with backdoor maneuvering taking place courtesy her nephew, AMMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran. The AIADMK, which had expelled her in 2017, and Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, whom she had entrusted the government with following her conviction, had earlier maintained that there would be no change in the party’s position with regard to her release.
Nearly 21 years after an FIR was registered accusing Jayalalithaa of amassing wealth to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore during her tenure as Chief Minister, the Supreme Court had on February 14, 2017 restored the trial court’s conviction of Sasikala and her two relatives. While the case against Jayalalithaa was abated owing to her demise, the top court sentenced Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran to four years in jail and a fine of Rs 10 crore each.
Read: How the DA case verdict went against Sasikala: Read full judgment and operative parts here
Sasikala surrendered before the trial court the next day – on February 15, 2017. However, not before taking a dramatic vow at Jayalalithaa’s memorial at Marina Beach in Chennai. Paying floral tribute to her late friend, Sasikala folded her hands together and muttered under her breath, she then bent over and slapped her palm on Jayalalithaa’s grave three times – signifying three vows – to defeat the conspiracy against her, avenge betrayal, and endure hardship.
Her jail term has not been without its share of controversy. Months into her incarceration, pictures surfaced suggesting special favours and treatment being granted to Sasikala. This included pictures of a well-stocked jail cell, which included stainless steel vessels, a mosquito net, clothes and cushioned mattresses among others. A video also surfaced showing Sasikala and Ilavarasi strolling into prison, as the guard opens what appears to be the main gate. Neither Sasikala nor Ilavarasi are wearing the prison uniform and are dressed in a brown salwar and red sari respectively. The pictures and video triggered outrage with allegations that Sasikala and Ilavarasi were granted VVIP treatment and had even left the Central Prison in connivance with jail officials. Police officer D Roopa had alleged that these perks were given to Sasikala after huge bribes were given to jail officers.
An inquiry by the Vinay Kumar Commission revealed that Sasikala enjoyed a number of privileges in prison that she was not entitled to. This included free movement inside the prison, extended visiting hours, a separate corridor with five cells allocated to Sasikala and Ilavarasi.
Source: The News Minute