The former general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and close aid of Jayalalitha, the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Sasikala has again landed herself into trouble as Roopa Moudgil , Deputy Inspector of Prisons (DIG) revealed that Sasikala had given Rs 2 crore as a bribe to the Director General of Prisons (DGP), Satyanarayana Rao and the Jail authorities to get special privileges in the jail.

Sasikala is lodged at the Parappana Agrahara central jail here ever since her conviction in February in a disproportionate assets case along with her two relatives VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, all serving a four-year jail term. (tribuneindia.com)

In a four page report submitted to the state government, Roopa Moudgil has disclosed that Sasikala has given Rs 1 crore bribe to Rao and another Rs 1 crore was distributed among officials, including the warden of the central jail, for an exclusive kitchen.She added that the AIADMK chief gets special food daily, cooked by special chefs in a special kitchen near the women's cell. She also alleged that not only Sasikala, but fake stamp paper scam kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi was also given special treatment inside the jail.

Moudgil also pointed out various "erroneous" practices in the prison, alleging that ganja was being consumed by several prisoners. She said during her visit, she conducted drug tests on 25 inmates and "shockingly" 18 of them turned out to be positive. (tribuneindia.com)

Following these allegations (DGP) Satyanarayana Rao, called the charges "baseless" and said the DIG, who had made the allegations, was "unaware" of rules. He added that the court had ordered to give assistance to her and they were only following court orders. Denying he took any bribe, Rao said there is "no truth to any allegations in the letter". (indiatoday.intoday.in)

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday ordered a high-level inquiry into the alleged VIP treatment meted out to former AIADMK general secretary and convict Sasikala. He also said that strict actions will be taken against anyone found guilty during the investigation.

Kiran Bedi herself a former IPS Officer tweeted , "We need more officers of the kind of D Roopa, the DIG (Prisons) of Karnataka, to inspire younger generation to be like her," (ndtv.com)

Furthermore , Lok Sabha deputy speaker Thambi Durai is also said to have flouted the rules to meet Sasikala, alleged another OPS camp follower. (eslforkids.net)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm4j803X5t0

Political opportunities not missed

In the wake of these events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (secular) have spared no opportunity to corner the Siddaramaiah-led government ahead of next year's elections. (livemint.com)

The BJP came out in support of V.K. Sasikala over getting preferences in jail, asserting that punishment of being put in jail on a conviction is itself sufficient and there is no need to humiliate her. (indialivetoday.com)

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said, "What kind of VIP treatment has she got? Did she get a kitchen where she can cook for herself? We all know that she has committed a white collar crime and is also a leader of a ruling party in Tamil Nadu. The punishment of being put in Jail on a conviction is itself sufficient and there is no need to humiliate her." (indialivetoday.com)