No end to woes of Sasikala and her extended kin
The death of former former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa last year has sent her close aide Sasikala’s fortunes on a downward spiral.
From her conviction along with two relatives in the disproportionate assets case to losing control over the AIADMK government, Sasikala’s family has hit a rough patch. It’s also facing the heat with more court cases and raids.
Key members of her family include Sasikala’s husband M Natarajan, nephews T TV Dinakaran and V N Sudhagaran, her brother Divakaran, and her deceased brother’s wife J Ilavarasi.
So far, seven of her family members are facing a jail sentence and court cases against other family members are in the advanced stages of hearing. Sasikala, her sister-in-law Ilavarasi and her nephew VN Sudhakaran were sentenced to four-year imprisonment in the Jayalalithaa’s disproportionate assets case in February when the Supreme Court upheld the trial court verdict.
The apex court ruling coincided with the rebellion led by her one-time loyalist O Panneerselvam. This saw her being sidelined in the party and the government, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi actively backing it.
On Friday, Sasikala’s ailing husband M Natarajan, who underwent a dual-organ transplant last month, was sentenced to two years in jail along …read more
