Jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala was granted parole for 15 days today by the prison authorities here to attend the funeral of her husband M Natarajan who passed away earlier during the day. He passed away at a at a corporate hospital here earlier today, an official said. He was 74.

“It is with profound grief and sorrow that we announce the sad demise of Natarajan Maruthappa at 1:35 AM today,” an official release issued by Shanmuga Priyan, chief operating officer of Gleneagles Global Health City, said. Natarajan was admitted to the hospital on Saturday with severe chest infection and was put on ventilator support. Last year he underwent a kidney transplant. Natarajan’s body was later kept at his Besant Nagar residence for people to pay homage.

“A 15-day parole has been granted (to Sasikala) with a slew of conditions,” Jail Superintendent of Parappana Agrahara Central Jail Somashekhar told PTI . He said Sasikala is not allowed to hold public meetings or attend any political events during the period. As part of the conditions, she would also have to remain within her jurisdiction, which is Thanjavur, and “serve only the purpose for which parole has been granted,” he said.

Convicted in the Rs 66.6 crore disproportionate assets case, Sasikala is serving a four year jail term in Bengaluru Parappana Agrahara prison since February last. She was granted an emergency parole in October last year when Natarajan underwent the kidney transplant.

Natarajan was an avid Tamil activist and was also running a vernacular magazine called ‘Puthiya Paarvai’. He was formerly a Public Relations Officer with the state government.

In 2011, he was one of the family members of Sasikala who were expelled by late Chief Minister and then AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa from the party. Though Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala, her close aide, she later re-inducted her.

 

 

 

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW