V.K.Sasikala | |
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வி. கே. சசிகலா | |
General Secretary of AIADMK | |
In office 31 December 2016 – 19 April 2017 |
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Personal details | |
Born | 1957 (age 59–60) |
Political party | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
Spouse(s) | M. Natarajan |
Occupation | Businessperson, Politician |
Criminal charge | Disproportionate assets case |
Criminal penalty | 4 years & ₹10 crore (US$1.5 million) penalty |
Criminal status | In prison |
Children | No |
Relatives | Ilavarasi (sister in law) V. N. Sudhakaran(Nephew) |
Imprisoned at | Parappana Agrahara Central Prison |
V. K. Sasikala, also known as Sasikala Natarajan, is an Indian politician who was the interim general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) during 2016-2017. She was a close aide of J. Jayalalithaa, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who headed AIADMK from 1989 until her death in 2016. After Jayalalithaa's death, the party's general council unanimously appointed her as the chief secretary of AIADMK.
She was arrested along with Jayalalithaa on 7 December 1996 and was remanded to judicial custody for 30 days in connection with the Colour TV scam. During Jayalalithaa's three tenures as Chief Minister, Sasikala was alleged to have laundered huge amounts of wealth amassed by Jayalalitha. On 14 February 2017, a 2-bench Supreme Court jury pronounced her guilty and ordered her immediate arrest in a disproportionate-assets case, effectively ending her Chief Ministerial ambitions.
Sasikala was born to Vivekanandan and Krishnaveni, a family from Thiruthuraipoondi. Later the family moved to Mannargudi. Her wedding with M. Natarajan happened with the blessings and in front of DMK Chief M. Karunanidhi. Her husband, M. Natarajan, was working as a public relations officer in the Tamil Nadu government. He was working closely with the District Collector of Cuddalore, V. S. Chandralekha, IAS officer, who in turn was very close to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. G. Ramachandran.
In the early 1980s, M. Natarajan requested V. S. Chandralekha, who was then the District Collector of South Arcot, to introduce his wife Sasikala to Jayalalithaa, who was then the Propaganda Secretary of the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, for recording video of party functions. Sasikala and Jayalalithaa gradually became very close.