Sasikala may seek parole to visit ailing husband; Natarajan still critical

Sources close to the family said she wants to take care of her husband who needs a liver transplant. He also has kidney ailments. The parole petition is likely to be moved after Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 when the government offices in Karnataka reopen after the holidays. Only the prison authorities could decide on the appeal on humanitarian grounds based on the Prison Act, 1894 and Prisoner Act, 1900, party sources said. 

Sasikala had stayed with former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa till her death and had met Natarajan only on a few occasions even after Jayalalithaa’s death. Even when Sasikala was nominated as the general secretary by the AIADMK general council in the first week of February, Natarajan was in hospital. After Sasikala was jailed, her husband visited the Parappana Agrahara prison only once. 

Sasikala’s release on parole comes at a crucial time as the High Court will take up the final hearing on DMK working president MK Stalin’s appeal for a floor test in the Assembly and the petition of TTV Dinakaran against the disqualification of 18 MLAs supporting him on October 4. 

The health condition of VK Sasikala’s husband Natarajan Maruthappa (74), suffering from chronic liver disease, continues to be critical, sources at Gleneagles Global Health City, where he is undergoing treatment, said. Admitted at the Liver ICU, the condition of his liver and kidney failure and lung congestion were reportedly worsening. He is still awaiting liver and kidney transplantation. He is being treated by a team headed by Dr Mohammed Rela.