Just days before her release, VK Sasikala, aide of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, has fallen sick at the Parappana Agrahara prison and has been shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru. Jail authorities confirmed that she has been shifted to the Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru. The former AIADMK General Secretary complained of fever and breathing difficulties on Wednesday. She is scheduled to be released from prison on January 27 after serving her four year sentence in the disproportionate assets case.
A source close to Sasikala told TNM that her oxygen saturation levels were low which is why the prison officials have decided to shift her to a hospital. “She has had fever intermittently in the last 10 days. They have done COVID test on her,” the source said.
Sasikala’s counsel had recently told TNM that none of her relatives have been able to meet her in prison for the past 10 months due to restrictions put in place by the prison authorities owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Supreme Court had on February 14, 2017 restored the trial court’s conviction of Sasikala and her two relatives - J Ilavarasi and VN Sudhakaran. All three of them were slapped with a fine of Rs 10 crore each and simple imprisonment. The fine was remitted by Sasikala to the 34th City Civil Court in Bengaluru in November last year.
Sasikala’s imminent release from jail has been a matter of intense speculation for months as it comes before the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. However, she will not be able to contest in 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.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has, however, denied that Sasikala will join the AIADMK party after her release. “There is no chance of Sasikala joining AIADMK after her release. Sasikala is not in the party...Her release will not change anything. Most of the people with TTV Dinakaran's AMMK have already come back to the AIADMK,” he had said on Tuesday.
Sasikala last came out on parole in 2018 to attend the last rites of her husband Natarajan in Thanjavur. Her husband Natrajan died on March 16, 2018 at a private hospital in Chennai after developing a chest infection. Sasikala also reportedly collapsed in the prison after hearing about the demise of her husband.