Sasikala fails to delay going to prison, also flops in getting VIP inmate status
BENGALURU: AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala, whose conviction in a disproportionate assets case was upheld by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, was sent to jail on Wednesday after she surrendered before the special court at Parappana Agrahara central jail on the outskirts of the Karnataka capital.
The special court had sentenced the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, her associate Sasikala, and two others, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran, to four years in prison in September 2014.
They were acquitted by the Karnataka high court later, but on Tuesday the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's judgment and ordered Sasikala and the other accused to surrender before the court.
Sasikala and Ilavarasi arrived at the court at 5.17pm and surrendered before judge Aswatha Narayana. The procedure was completed in an hour and the AIADMK general secretary and Ilavarasi walked to jail around 6.17pm.
During the proceedings, Sasikala's lawyers submitted before the court that she was suffering from diabetes and age-related ailments, and sought a Class-I facility for her in jail. The judge, however, rejected the plea. The third accused, Sudhakaran, arrived at the court later. He claimed that his vehicle had broken down on the way.
Clad in a red sari, Sasikala remained calm as a battery of women police accompanied her as she walked from her car to the court. In the morning, Sasikala's lawyers had moved the Supreme Court seeking extra time for her surrender. But the apex court refused her plea, and she left Chennai for Bengaluru, covering the 350km distance between Chennai and Bengaluru in a Prado in about four hours.
Her husband Natarajan had arrived in Bengaluru earlier in the day. Senior AIADMK official and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai arrived in Bengaluru early on Wedensday. He consulted Sasikala's lawyers, who suggested filing a plea before the trial court seeking a deferment of the surrender deadline on the grounds of ill health. However, with the Supreme Court rejecting the earlier plea, they had to rethink their strategy.
Sources said Sasikala was still planning to move a review petition in the Supreme Court. "Sasikala has a good case for a review petition. Let's hope for the best. However, the immediate step required is her surrender," said Navaneetha Krishnan, AIADMK Rajya Sabha member and the lawyer who appeared for Jayalalithaa in the case.
The special court had sentenced the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, her associate Sasikala, and two others, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran, to four years in prison in September 2014.
They were acquitted by the Karnataka high court later, but on Tuesday the Supreme Court upheld the lower court's judgment and ordered Sasikala and the other accused to surrender before the court.
Sasikala and Ilavarasi arrived at the court at 5.17pm and surrendered before judge Aswatha Narayana. The procedure was completed in an hour and the AIADMK general secretary and Ilavarasi walked to jail around 6.17pm.
During the proceedings, Sasikala's lawyers submitted before the court that she was suffering from diabetes and age-related ailments, and sought a Class-I facility for her in jail. The judge, however, rejected the plea. The third accused, Sudhakaran, arrived at the court later. He claimed that his vehicle had broken down on the way.
Clad in a red sari, Sasikala remained calm as a battery of women police accompanied her as she walked from her car to the court. In the morning, Sasikala's lawyers had moved the Supreme Court seeking extra time for her surrender. But the apex court refused her plea, and she left Chennai for Bengaluru, covering the 350km distance between Chennai and Bengaluru in a Prado in about four hours.
Her husband Natarajan had arrived in Bengaluru earlier in the day. Senior AIADMK official and Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai arrived in Bengaluru early on Wedensday. He consulted Sasikala's lawyers, who suggested filing a plea before the trial court seeking a deferment of the surrender deadline on the grounds of ill health. However, with the Supreme Court rejecting the earlier plea, they had to rethink their strategy.
Sources said Sasikala was still planning to move a review petition in the Supreme Court. "Sasikala has a good case for a review petition. Let's hope for the best. However, the immediate step required is her surrender," said Navaneetha Krishnan, AIADMK Rajya Sabha member and the lawyer who appeared for Jayalalithaa in the case.
