Sasi pays ₹10-crore fine, gets ready to walk out of prison

Sasi pays ₹10-crore fine, gets ready to walk out of prison

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai/Bengaluru:  19.11.2020

V K Sasikala, former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s aide and a co-accused in the disproportionate assets case, will be out of jail probably by January, as she has paid the ₹10 crore fine imposed by a Bengaluru special court.

Sasikala’s lawyer Raja Senthur Pandian said the demand drafts were drawn by Sasikala’s husband N Natarajan’s brother M Palanivel (₹3.25 crore), Palanivel’s wife Vasantha Devi (₹3.75 crore), Hema, wife of Dr S Venkatesan (₹3 crore) and Sasikala’s nephew Vivek (₹10,000).

Sasikala, her sister-in-law J Ilavarasi and nephew V N Sudhagaran are about to complete the four-year jail term imposed by a special court on September 27, 2014, and upheld by the Supreme Court on February 14, 2017. The trio entered the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru the next day. Charges against Jayalalithaa, however, abated as she was no more when the Supreme Court delivered its judgment. The special court had slapped ₹100 crore fine on Jayalalithaa, and ₹10 crore each on these three.

Initially, the presiding judge cited the special court judgment and insisted on breaking fixed deposits, selling gold and diamond jewelleries and auctioning of properties belonging to the accused.

Won’t have any impact, says EPS

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said V K Sasikala’s release from the prison would not have any impact on the AIADMK. “As far as we are concerned the release will not have any impact,’’ EPS told reporters in Coimbatore airport on Wednesday.

‘B’luru jail authorities informed’

However, Pandian submitted a petition clarifying how the process would be tedious and that it could take years. He then offered the DDs furnished by Sasikala’s family.

The court accepted the fine amount and passed necessary orders. Authorities of Parapana Agrahara Central Prison were informed of the development by the court on Wednesday, Pandian added. Similar fines will be paid by Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran shortly.