Ousted AIADMK leader VK Sasikala was granted 15-day parole by the Parappana Agrahara prison officials after her husband, Natarajan, passed away on Tuesday, 20 March. She is currently serving a four-year sentence at Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara Central Jail after being convicted in a disproportionate assets case in 2017.
As reported by ANI, Sasikala left from Parapanna Agrahara prison in the afternoon.
The Quint has learned that both the Tamil Nadu police as well as the Bengaluru prison officials cleared Sasikala’s request for 15-day emergency parole to be present for her husband’s last rites.
Sasikala’s husband, M Natarajan, passed away early Tuesday morning, 20 March, according to a statement from Gleneagles Global Health City in Chennai, where he was admitted. Natarajan was 74 years old.
It is with profound grief and sorrow that we announce the sad demise of Natarajan Maruthappa at 1:35 am on 20 March 2018.Shanmuga Priyan, chief operating officer, Gleneagles Global Health City
Leaders Pay Respects to Natarajan
DMK working president MK Stalin visited Natarajan’s residence around 8:30 am on Tuesday, to pay his respects.
Shortly after Stalin, TTV Dinakaran, VK Sasikala’s nephew and the present MLA from RK Nagar, visited Natarajan’s Besant Nagar residence to pay his respects.
‘Natarajan Was Hospitalised with Chest Infection’
According to an earlier press statement released by the hospital on Monday, 19 January, Natarajan was admitted with a severe chest infection after he had complained of pain. He was admitted in the intensive care unit and was kept under ventilator support.
Natarajan had reportedly undergone a surgery in 2017 for a liver and kidney transplant. His body was kept at his residence in Besant Nagar, Chennai, for people to pay homage.
According to PTI, sources close to him said that his body will be taken later to his native village in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, for his last rites.
However, it yet unknown known when his last rites will be held.
Sasikala was granted emergency parole in October 2017 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 Tamil Nadu government.
In 2011, he was one of the family members of Sasikala who was expelled from the AIADMK by then chief minister and party supremo J Jayalalithaa.
Though Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala, she later re-inducted her into the AIADMK after Sasikala issued a public apology. Sasikala was married to Natarajan Maruthappa for 33 years. According to an NDTV report, Natarajan was the one who introduced Sasikala to Jayalalithaa.
(With inputs from Oneindia Tamil, PTI, and ANI)
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