Sasikala, Ilavarasi granted bail in preferential treatment in prison case

They have to pay a bond of ₹3 lakh and will have to appear before the court in Bengaluru on April 16

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's aide V.K. Sasikala and her sister-in-law J. Ilavarasi were on Friday granted regular bail by a special court dealing with anti-corruption cases in connection with the alleged preferential treatment given to them during their jail term in the Bengaluru Central Jail in the disproportionate assets case.

Along with them, the then Assistant Superintendent of the Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru and the prison security officer too appeared before the special judge K. Lakshminarayana Bhat.

Sasikala and Ilavarasi were ordered to pay a bond of ₹3 lakh, and will have to appear again on April 16.

The then Chief Superintendent and the Superintendent of the Central jail, who have also been named as accused in the case, have gotten a stay from the Karnataka High Court against the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) inquiry, sources said.

In 2017, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prison) D. Roopa claimed that Sasikala was given preferential treatment and was allowed to wear civil dress instead of a prisoners’ uniform.

An inquiry conducted by a retired IAS officer on the directions of the State government reportedly revealed that a separate kitchen functioned for her inside the jail.

The Karnataka government sanctioned the prosecution of the accused on December 30 last year, and the charge sheet was filed before the special court on January 7.