Former All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader VK Sasikala, who was a close aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa, has been diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness, The Hindu reported on Thursday. Sasikala, who was admitted to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Bengaluru after complaining of fever and breathlessness on Wednesday, is said to be in stable condition.

“She was admitted to hospital with the complaint of fever, cough, and breathlessness but now she is stable,” Dr Manoj Kumar HV, dean and director of the Bengaluru hospital, told The Indian Express. “She was diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness but her RT-PCR report [for coronavirus] has come out negative.”

Sasikala is currently recuperating at Victoria Hospital, according to The News Minute. “She has been shifted to Victoria Hospital because the police informed us that it is the designated hospital to treat convicts lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison,” Dr Kumar told the news website.

The 66-year-old former AIADMK leader was shifted from the prison hospital to Bowring Hospital after her blood oxygen level dropped to less than normal. Dr Kumar added that they have referred her for a CT scan at Victoria Hospital. “Sasikala’s fever has come down and her oxygen saturation is normal,” he said. “We don’t think there is any problem now. Since she has SARI symptoms we have referred for a CT scan.”

Sasikala is serving a four-year jail term after she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case on February 14, 2017. Her lawyer on Wednesday said she would be released from prison on January 27. She is set to be released after paying a Rs 10-crore fine, failing which her imprisonment would have been extended by 13 more months.

In the 21-year-old case against Sasikala, Jayalalithaa was accused of colluding with her, Sasikala’s sister-in-law Ilavarasi, and their nephew Sudhakaran between 1991 and 1996. The four had allegedly amassed a wealth of around Rs 65 crore, which were disproportionate to their known sources of income. Some of the properties under the scanner in the case include Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad estate and her Poes Garden residence.

Her release from prison comes ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Sasikala has been an influential part of Tamil Nadu politics and her release is likely to help the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the upcoming polls. However, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has ruled out any possibility of her rejoining the AIADMK.