VK Sasikala, the aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is likely to be released from jail on 27 January 2021. Information from a Right To Information (RTI) reply given by the central prison authority to a query by a Bengaluru activist and lawyer, Narasimha Murthy, has revealed that Sasikala can be released in January if she pays the fine.
In February 2017, the Supreme Court overruled the Karnataka High Court and convicted Sasikala, and other co-accused, with four years of imprisonment and Rs 10 crore fine.
Sasikala, convict No. 9234 in the Tamil Nadu disproportionate assets case is currently serving a sentence in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.
Sasikala's nephew Sudhakaran and her close confidante J Ilavarasi are also serving jail term along with her.
Sasikala’s lawyer Raja Senthoor Pandian had earlier said that she could walk out of jail by end of September because of her good conduct.
If the in-default fine is not paid, her ‘probable date of release' would be 27 February 2022, read the RTI reply. Subsequently, the probably date of release may vary if she utilises the parole facility.
Sasikala was out on parole earlier in October 2017 for five days when her husband Natarajan was unwell. She was again granted parole for 12 days in March 2019 when Natarajan passed away.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)