I-T officials to question Sasikala in prison, but she’s on maun vrat

CHENNAI: As a follow-up to the searches made in her rooms at Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden home, Veda Nilayam, in November, I-T officials will soon question V K Sasikala incarcerated in the Bangalore Parappana Agrahara jail. I-T had seized documents, hard disks and pen drives from her room last year.

Income tax officials will question convicted AIADMK leader V K Sasikala in the Bangalore Parappana Agrahara central prison shortly. This is in continuation to the I-T searches in her rooms at Veda Nilayam, the Poes Garden residence of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, in November last year.

The I-T officials had seized several documents, computer hard disks as well as pen drives from her room. Most significant among the seizures was a confidential file sent by former DGP Ashok Kumar to the then chief minister Jayalalithaa on the ghutka scam. Ashok Kumar had reportedly recommended action against a host of officials who were implicated by the I-T investigation wing in the ghutka bribe case. The file was seized from Sasikala’s room. I-T sources said a team of officials from Chennai would visit Bangalore prison after February 10 and question her on the prison premises.

Two weeks ago, I-T officials had summoned Sasikala to their office, but through her advocate, she conveyed the message that she would not be able to speak as she was on a silent vow. She also sought time to appear for questioning. The I-T department has sent a letter to the Bengaluru prison authorities, seeking permission to question Sasikala on the prison premises.

“We will probe Sasikala based on the documents we have seized during the searches conducted in her rooms and her relatives’ premises,” said a senior I-T official. IT investigation wing had earlier questioned Sasikala’s nephew Vivek Jayaraman, Jayalalithaa’s personal assistant

Poongundran

and several others close to the Sasikala family.

“We have gone through the pen drives as well as the hard disks and papers seized from the rooms. We need to know a lot from her,” said the official.

Sasikala is said to be on a silent vow (moun vrath) since December 5 last year (the first death anniversary of Jayalalithaa) and it is not known for how long she would continue with her vow. R K Nagar MLA and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran had revealed about her penance to the media on December 28.

“She requested us to question her after February 10. We have decided to wait till then,” said the official.