From morning walks to idli and fruit: What Jayalalithaa is doing in jail

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jeyaram Jayalalithaa who was convicted in a disproportionate assets case on Saturday, has begun life as a prisoner in the Parappana Agrahara jail. She was convicted for offences punishable under Section 120(B) of the IPC (criminal conspiracy), 13(1) of the Prevention Corruption Act (criminal misconduct by public servants) and 109 (abetment). According to this report in The Times of India, Jayalalithaa, who is now prisoner 7402, has been lodged in VVIP cell number 23 of the women’s section of the jail. As she had entered, the former CM had tried to gain admission into the prison hospital, but had reportedly been ‘firmly’ told that she was a convict now. [caption id=“attachment_1735141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] She seems to have had better luck on Sunday though, with another report claiming that she had been granted admission into the hospital along with her aides Sasikala and Ilavarasi. According to the report: Later, Jayalalithaa, a diabetic, was taken into the ward after she complained of blurring eyesight and increased sugar levels. The AIADMK chief claimed that only Sasikalaa knew her medical regimen and could administer it, sources said. Ilavarasi joined them after she too complained of food poisoning. On the trio’s demand, they were provided with plantains, lemons and papaya. So what is her life like in prison? The Indian Express says that it starts with a morning walk: “Jayalalithaa, who is now prisoner number 7402 at the Parappana Agrahara central prison, began her day around 5:30 am, and took a stroll within the premises of the jail, prison sources said. The 66-year-old three-time chief minister read three Tamil and two English newspapers and after that she had her breakfast brought from outside the jail, they said.” The Economic Times says that “although the jail authorities provide chapattis and ragi balls for food, Jaya has been eating fruit, bread and milk” She has also not received any visitors, given that no outsiders are allowed into the jail premises on Sundays. “Tamil Nadu CM - designate O Panneerselvam and Jayalalithaa’s advisor Sheela Balakrishnan were seen at the prison premises, but they could not meet her”, the ET report adds. The Times of India quotes a jail official as saying that “Jayalalithaa was given the option of either working in the tailoring section or cutting vegetables or rolling incense sticks during her incarceration, according to the Karnataka Jail Manual, but she is yet to make her choice. He added that she can seek exemption from such labour on health and age grounds.” She has also reportedly shown little interest in interacting with her fellow prisoners. And as Jayalalithaa comes to terms with her new circumstances, in Chennai the ministers, MLAs and workers of the ruling AIADMK appear to be struggling to come to terms with her imprisonment. Workers tonsured their heads, burnt effigies of DMK chief Karunanidhi and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and took out rallies acoss the State including Ariyalur town and Vedaranyam. Vehicles including a state run bus were torched by unidentified persons and sporadic incidents of violence were reported from across Tamil Nadu on both Saturday and Sunday after the conviction was announced. AIADMK legislators on Sunday elected Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam to succeed the jailed J Jayalalithaa as the state’s new chief minister. She may not have to stay in jail for too long however. The former Tamil Nadu CM has applied for bail in the Karnataka High Court, the hearing of which will be held on Tuesday.