Non-bailable warrant issued against Sasikala after non-appearance in court

A Lokayukta special court in Chennai has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against VK Sasikala, a confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa after she failed to appear for a hearing in a case involving alleged “VIP treatment” given to her while incarcerated at a prison here. Sasikala, who was convicted in a disproportionate assets case in 2017, was imprisoned at the city’s Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. The court also sentenced another accused Ilavarasi, Sasikala’s sister-in-law, to NBW. Before the court delayed the hearing on Monday to October 5, two people who had furnished sureties to the former AIADMK leader were also served with notices. A special court convicted Sasikala and Ilavarasi in the disproportionate assets case against Jayalalithaa and them, and they served four years in the Central Prison here. They were suspected at the time of paying jail authorities in order to receive privileges and preferential treatment not available to inmates. The case against three jail personnel implicated with Sasikala was invalidated in May this year by the High Court of Karnataka: Krishna Kumar, the then-chief Jail Superintendent, Dr Anitha, the then-assistant Superintendent of Prisons, and Gajaraja Makanur, the then-police Sub-Inspector. The three were accused of giving the services to Sasikala after her arrest on February 15, 2017. Sasikala has also petitioned the High Court to have the lawsuit against her dismissed. The HC, however, has not ordered a stay of proceedings before the Lokayukta court. Despite this, Sasikala failed to appear at the Special Court on Monday for a hearing. Given her frequent absences, the Court granted the NBW.