November 18, 2020 8:25:28 pm
VK Sasikala. (Archive)
A fine of more than 10 million rupees imposed on the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s assistant VK Sasikala in a disproportionate assets case was deposited in a Bengaluru court on Wednesday and his release is expected soon, his lawyer said.
Prime Minister K Palaniswami, meanwhile, claimed that Sasikala’s early release would not alter AIADMK’s position to keep her and her family members at bay, both from the party and the government. There will be no change in the party’s position vis-à-vis Sasikala, he told reporters in Coimbatore.
The fine amount of Rs 10,00,10,000 was referred to the 34th Civil Court of the city, Bengaluru, through draft lawsuits, said Sasikala’s lawyer, N Raja Senthoor Pandian. The court is now expected to send a communication to the prison authorities regarding the payment of the fine and “I hope it will be released soon, before the scheduled release date of January 27, 2021,” he told PTI.
Citing the good conduct referral rules available to prisoners, he expressed confidence that Sasikala would be released “sooner rather than later” and that related legal proceedings were underway.
Sasikala’s two relatives, like her, are also subject to a simple four-year prison sentence in the case of assets in the Central Jail of Parappana Agrahara. The three were fined 10 million rupees in addition to 10,000 rupees.
Pandian said the process to pay the fine for the other two was also being resumed.
In 2017, after the Supreme Court reinstated the Bengaluru trial court judgment in full against Sasikala and his two family members, VN Sudhakaran and J Elavarasi in the assets case, the former Chief Minister’s confidante surrendered to the Karnataka court on February 15, 2017 and she has been serving her sentence ever since.
With the death of Jayalalithaa in December 2016, Karnataka’s appeal against her was dropped.
In 2014, the trial court convicted Jayalalithaa and three others on charges, including corruption and criminal conspiracy, 18 years after the disproportionate assets case was brought against her.
The late AIADMK supreme was also fined 100 million rupees by Special Judge John Michael Cunha.
In 2015, the Karnataka High Court overturned the lower court order convicting Jayalalithaa and three other people.
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