While the debates and discussions about V.K. Sasikala’s early release from prison are still doing the rounds, a RTI reply from the Parappana Agrahara Prison in Bengaluru has confirmed that she will get released on January 27, 2021. Sasikala, the close confidante of former chief minister Jayalalithaa, is serving the four-year jail term in a Disproportionate Assets case in Bengaluru. She will have to undergo one more year of imprisonment—that is, till February 27, 2022—if she fails to pay the fine of Rs 10 crore as ordered by the Supreme Court.
In a reply to the RTI filed by Bengaluru-based activist and lawyer T. Narasimamurthy, the Superintendent of Bengaluru Central Prison, R. Latha, said that, “Sasikala’s probable date of release is 27/01/2021, provided in default, fine amount is paid as awarded by the honourable court.” Narasimamurthy had asked for the details of her release in August. Initially, his request was turned down by the prisons department. However, when he wrote to the prison head office, he got the reply on September 11. As per the reply, Sasikala, convict number 9234, is serving her jail term since February 15, 2017, after the Supreme Court struck down the Karnataka High Court order acquitting her and Jayalalithaa in the Rs 66 crore Disproportionate Assets case.
The reply also said that her “probable date of release may vary if she utilizes the parole facility”. Incidentally, Sasikala had served 35 days in prison in the same wealth case previously, in the late 1990s and in 2014 along with Jayalalithaa. And she had come out on parole for 17 days when her husband, M. Natarajan, was unwell and later when he died. While the RTI reply does not talk about remission, sources close to her say that she is eligible for remission and, therefore, an early release. However, even if the remission is not allowed, Sasikala in all likely possibilities—if the fine amount is paid—will walk out of prison on January 27, 2021. Sources close to Sasikala’s family say that AMMK chief and her nephew, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, are waiting for her release to fix the wedding date for his daughter, Jaya Harini. Recently, pictures of Dhinakaran’s daughter’s wedding engagement were doing the rounds on social media.
With Assembly elections due in March-April 2021, Sasikala’s release could lead to a churn in Tamil Nadu politics, at a time when the AIADMK is facing leadership challenges with both Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami at the helm of affairs. Though the AIADMK’s dual leadership said that Sasikala cannot be part of the AIADMK anymore, Sasikala could turn into a reckoning force, and the disgruntled elements in the party could rally behind her.
The Supreme Court in February 2017—two months after the death of Jayalalithaa—convicted Sasikala, her sister-in-law J. Ilavarasi and her nephew V.N. Sudhakaran, with four-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 crore or five-years jail terms. Then, Sasikala had made all the AIADMK MLAs elect Palaniswami as the chief minister at the Koovathur Resort to resolve the political crisis in the state. After this, on February 15, 2017, she walked into the Parappana Agrahara Prison with Illavarasi, after visiting Jayalaithaa’s beach side memorial. Sasikala had also made three promises, at Jayalalithaa’s memorial, which she did not reveal to the outside world. A teary-eyed Sasikala was seen thumping the memorial with bare hands, as a gesture of taking an oath.
The AIADMK, which was then supporting Sasikala, tweeted, saying that she made three vows, signifying “I will overcome hurdle(s), treachery and the plotting (against me).” Apparently, it is still not known if Sasikala will work to keep up her promises, once she comes back from prison.
