The court has ordered that Sasikala will be an ordinary prisoner and there will be no special treatment to her. She will not get home food also.
She is now a prisoner at the same jail where Jayalalithaa and she were kept for about three weeks in 2014 when they were first convicted for corruption. Sources said Sasikala has asked for a cell that comes with a table and a fan, a couple of non-vegetarian meals every week, a space to meditate, and guaranteed round-the-clock medical assistance if sought.
Earlier Sasikala broke down as she addressed about 120 legislators at a resort in Chennai which, as of about five days ago, has turned into a party outpost. “They can imprison me, but they cannot imprison my care for you,” she told them, adding, “wherever I am, I will be with the party.”
Sasikala, till Tuesday morning, was plotting to be Chief Minister, but the Supreme Court nullified those plans by stating that in the early 90s, during Ms Jayalalithaa’s first term in office, the women conspired on a get-rich-quick scheme that included forcing owners of real estate to sell them land at big discounts.
Along with Ms Sasikala, her nephew Sudhakaran (adopted by Ms Jayalalithaa only to be disowned a year later) and sister-in-law Ilavarasi, who drove to Bengaluru with her on Wednesday, were also convicted.
Immediately after the verdict, Ms Sasikala devoted her attention to ordering a complete rebuild of the AIADMK’s top line-up. In place of her, the party’s new presumptive Chief Minister is her loyalist, E Palanisamy. She remains General Secretary; her nephew, TTV Dinakaran is her deputy.
In 2011, he was among 12 members of Ms Sasikala’s family, apart from her husband and her, who were expelled from the AIADMK by Ms Jayalalithaa, who indicted them for working against her and the party. Three months later, to return to the AIADMK and Ms Jayalalithaa’s home, which she shared for more than 20 years, Ms Sasikala apologised and disowned the men in her family.
At Ms Jayalalithaa’s funeral, however, her husband, controversial entrepreneur M Natarajan, was conspicuous in the crowd. Party insiders were astounded, but on record, the AIADMK said a grief-stricken Sasikala, who performed her mentor’s last rites, needed all the support she could get.
