The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL to bar VK Sasikala from continuing as AIADMK (Amma) General Secretary following her conviction in the Disproportionate Assets case.
Filed by AAP’s Tamil Nadu unit, the PIL also sought the apex court’s directive to restrain Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami and his cabinet ministers from seeking her advice.
While dismissing the plea, the top court observed, “We can’t order the Chief Minister and Ministers not to seek advice from a convicted person. It is the decision of politicians.” The SC also pointed out to the petitioners that the court can’t decide on the office bearer of a political party.
The court’s decision comes at a time when the Election Commission is examining the validity of Sasikala’s appointment as interim General Secretary of the AIADMK following former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s death. Her appointment to the party post was challenged by former CM and rebel O Panneerselvam on the grounds that she was named to the post by the General Council of the AIADMK rather than being elected by all members. OPS’s faction have also argued that Sasikala’s appointment is illegal as she was dismissed from the AIADMK by Jayalalithaa in December 2011 and did not have the mandated continuous five years as a member to be made the General Secretary.
Sasikala, who was convicted by the SC in the DA case, has been lodged at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara prison since February. She has had several visitors since her incarceration with cabinet ministers, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai and her nephew and party Deputy General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran routinely visiting her and seeking her advice.
An explosive report by former DIG (Prisons) Roopa recently revealed that Sasikala received special treatment at the jail, with five cells allocated to Jayalalithaa’s former aide. The IPS officer had alleged that the former DG (Prisons) Satyanarayana Rao had taken bribes amounting to Rs 2 crore for providing special privileges to the convict.