Hard time for ‘restless’ Sasikala in Bengaluru jail

Bengaluru, Feb 16 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary V.K. Sasikala had a hard time in the Central Jail here as she could not sleep and was restless at night, a party leader said on Thursday.

"Chinnamma could not sleep well and was restless as she had to sleep on the floor in a 10x8 feet ordinary cell in the women's barracks after jail officials denied her request for a mattress," the AIADMK's Karnataka unit Secretary, V. Pugazhendhi, told reporters.

As the trial court denied Sasikala's demand for some privileges, including home food, she refused to have supper on Wednesday night though she was served two rotis, one ragi ball, 200 gm rice and 150 gm sambar (lentil) like all other inmates.

"When Saskiala's sister-in-law and co-convict Elavarasi cajoled her to have food in view of her weak health, she took rice with sambar and butter milk," a jail source told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

The judge also rejected Sasikala's request for a special room for prayers and yoga, A-class facilities and an attached toilet-cum-bathroom. She was given a plate, a tumbler and a blanket.

Before entering the cell, she deposited her valuables at the counter and recorded the 21 days she spent earlier in the prison as per the procedure.

Expressing anguish over her plight and harsh conditions in which women inmates live in prisons, Pugazhendi said Sasikala woke up early (5 a.m.), did yoga and walked in the barracks for a while.

"She also read a couple of Tamil newspapers, had lemon rice for breakfast at 7.30 a.m. and a frugal meal (sambar rice) for lunch at 12.30," said Pugazhendi.

Saskiala, 59, surrendered before the trial court here on Wednesday evening and entered the jail premises before 6 p.m after the Supreme Court declined her plea for more time to give herself up.

As trial court judge Ashwath Narayana denied her privileges she sought on health grounds, Sasikala was lodged in a 10x8 feet cell in the women's barracks.

This is the second time Sasikala, her sister-in-law Elavarasi and nephew V.K. Sudhakaran are serving their four-year sentence in the jail after being held guilty for corruption in a two decade-old illegal wealth case.

The three were in the same jail from September 27 to October 18, 2014 after the trial court held them guilty along with late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who died on December 5 in Chennai.

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