Bangalore, September 29 – Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who was convicted in the disproportionate assets case on Saturday, refused special treatment from the Bangalore Central Jail authorities at Parappana Agrahara on the city’s outskirts.
Jayalalithaa requested the jail authorities to allow her to share the cell with her friends Sasikala Natarajan and V.N.J. Illavarasai. Her disowned foster son Sudhakaran is sharing the cell with mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy’s former aide Mehfuz Ali Khan.
Considering her health concerns, Jayalalithaa has been housed at the hospital located inside the jail. The AIADMK chief is sharing the hospital’s common ward with Sasikala and Illavarasai, who too complained of health problems. A VIP cell has been set up for Jayalalithaa in the jail and whenever the doctors permit, she will be shifted from the hospital ward.
“On Saturday night, she had fruits for dinner. She woke up around 5:30 am on Sunday and took a stroll in the jail premises. She had requested for three Tamil newspapers and two English dailies. She read them in detail and returned to her ward,” a senior jail official said.
Jayalalithaa reportedly instructed the jail staff not to accord any special treatment to her. She spoke to the jail authorities in Kannada and many of them were taken aback by her simplicity. Though the jail staff offered her idli and sambar for breakfast, the AIADMK chief sought permission to get her breakfast prepared by her personal staff Veera Perumal. He has been camping outside the jail since Saturday and had cooked idli-sambar for breakfast for his ‘Amma’. As it was Sunday, general visitors, including Perumal, were not permitted to enter the jail premises.
In the afternoon, she had lunch supplied by her personal staff. Few senior ministers and officials of the Tamil Nadu government, who had sought prior permission, were permitted to meet Jayalalithaa. She met them on three different occasions and the discussions apparently focused on her successor.
According to the jail officials, Jayalalithaa suffers from acute lower back pain and her supporters had brought a special chair. However, as, she had not taken permission from the jail authorities, her supporters were turned away. Twice, the police outside the jail had to resort to mild lathicharge to disperse AIADMK workers. The jail authorities have made it clear that permission would be granted to only VIPs, government officials and AIADMK leaders. The jail staff had to even stop AIADMK MP Vijila Sathyananda, who turned up to meet Jayalalithaa without taking permission.
After some argument, Vijila was allowed to meet the former Tamil Nadu chief minister.
– INDIA TODAY
