Bengaluru: Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaaa’s key aide V.K. Sasikala, who tested Covid positive just ahead of her release from jail, is being treated with the standard protocol, a hospital bulletin said on Friday.
“With the diagnosis of Covid-19, severe pneumonia with Type II diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism, the patient is being treated with standard Covid-19 protocol at the Trauma Care Centre of Victoria Hospital,” the hospital’s third bulletin said.
“She is maintaining oxygen saturation of 97 per cent with five litres of oxygen through a Non-rebreather mask (NRBM),” it said.
The bulletin added that her condition was stable and comfortable, and she was conscious and well oriented.
The 63-year-old Sasikala was first admitted to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital by the doctors at the prison, where she is serving a term for corruption, with a diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypothyroidism, urinary tract infection (UTI) and suspected Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI).
Sasikala, lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Prison, was sentenced to four years imprisonment in February 2017 in a disproportionate assets case.
The case pertains to the amassment of disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore during Jayalalithaa’s first tenure as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (1991-1996).
In September 2013, a special court convicted Jayalalithaa to simple imprisonment of four years. A Rs 100-crore fine was also slapped on her, and she was forced to step down as the Chief Minister.
Along with her, three co-accused – Sasikala, V. N. Sudhakaran, and J. Ilavarasi were also convicted. They were awarded a fine amount of Rs 10 crore each.
Jayalalithaa challenged the conviction in the Karnataka High Court, which acquitted her of all charges. However, in 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the special court verdict. Charges against Jayalalithaa had abated in view of her death on December 5, 2016.
Soon after Jayalaithaa’s death, Sasikala took over the reins of the AIADMK in December 2016, but was later unceremoniously removed from the party by the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami-led camp.
She again came into limelight in late November 2019, when the Income Tax department had reportedly attached proxy properties valued Rs 1,600 crore allegedly belonging to her under the provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act. It is further alleged that nine properties, located in Chennai, Puducherry and Coimbatore, were purchased soon after demonetisation in November 2016.
