VK Sasikala, a former aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was released from Parapana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning after completing four years of imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case.
However, Sasikala who has been an important part of Tamil Nadu politics for over three decades, functioning as the woman ‘next in power’ after the late Jayalalithaa, will remain in the hospital as she is being treated for the COVID-19 infection.
Independent MLA T T V Dhinakaran, Sasikala’s nephew and founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) had on Monday said a decision on the discharge of his aunt from the hospital would be taken after consulting the doctors.
Hundreds of followers of Sasikala and former chief minister Jayalalithaa gathered in front of Victoria Hospital and celebrated her release.
She was sentenced to four years imprisonment in February 2017 in the Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case along with her sister-in-law J Ilavarasi and and Jayalalithaa’s foster son V N Sudhakaran.
Sasikala’s release comes at a time when Tamil Nadu is preparing for assembly elections in which her former party AIADMK takes on the DMK.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.