Sasikala back in Bengaluru jail a day after conviction in DA case

AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala today surrendered before a court in Bengaluru from where she was sent to jail, a day after she was convicted by the Supreme Court in disproportionate assets case. 

Sasikala gave herself up at the Central Jail on the city's southern outskirts after reaching from Chennai by road, officials said. A makeshift trial court was set up again in the jail complex earlier in the day for security reasons. She underwent a medical check-up before being sent to Parappana Agrahara jail.

The civil court complex in the city centre is in a congested area and would have caused law and order problem due to the high-profile nature of the case and the convicts involved.

As she arrived reached the prison complex, clashes erupted between AIADMK supporters and police personnel.

Earlier, fefore leaving for Bengaluru, Sasikala visited the memorial of her mentor late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at Marina beach and the Ramapuram residence of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran before leaving for Bengaluru to surrender before a court. 

Before leaving the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalithaa, where Sasikala continued to stay after the former's demise last December, she was greeted by slogan-shouting supporters. 

At the Jayalalithaa memorial, Sasikala made her way through the crowd of supporters that included a sobbing former minister Gokula Indira and newly appointed Deputy General Secretary and her nephew TTV Dinakaran, and put up a brave face. The 62-year-old leader paid floral tributes here and was seen muttering something which was not audible to the media. 

Later at the Ramapuram residence of MG Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, she briefly meditated before his portrait. She also paid homage to a life size statue of the former matinee idol at the residence, which she had unveiled recently. Some women there also performed 'aarti' for Sasikala.

Sasikala, who was locked in a bitter tussle with caretaker CM O Panneerselvam, took the inevitable journey to Bengaluru after the Supreme Court earlier today refused to give her more time to surrender. 

She had yesterday given pep talk to MLAs and supporters to stay bold and remain united. "Only I can be jailed, not the care or concern I have forthis party. Wherever I will be, my thoughts will be here," Sasikala had told both her MLAs at Koovathur resort as well as to her supporters later at Poes Garden late last night. 

Earlier today, the apex court had refused to entertain her plea, seeking more time to surrender to undergo jail term in the 19-year-old Rs 66 crore disproportionate assets case, also involving Jayalalithaa. 

"We do not intend to pass any order on this. We are not going to change anything in the judgement," a bench headed by Justice P C Ghose had said. The Bench had yesterday convicted her and two others in the 19-year-old case. 

The court had yesterday upheld the four-year jail term awarded to her by a lower court in Bengaluru and thus banning her from contesting election for 10 years.

Meanwhile, the court hall where Sasikala will surrender has been shifted to the central jail at Parapppana Agrahara due to security reasons. The Karnataka High Court Registrar accepted a request by Bengaluru City Police to shift the court hall in the city citing security and other considerations.

The Parappana Agrahara jail is located close to Hosur, the entry point on Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border.

Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and her relatives V N Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi had spent three weeks in the jail after they were convicted by the trial court in the Disproportionate Assets case in September 2014 before being let out on bail by the Supreme Court.