In what can be termed as the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala who is cooling her heels at Bangalore’s Parappana Agrahara Prison serving a 4-year long rigorous prison term in the misappropriation of assets case, the Supreme Court of India’s latest observation says that it is opposed to convicted politicians controlling/heading political parties from prisons.

Sasikala attempted to usurp the AIADMK and the Govt. led by it soon after the demise of her former boss and former chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa under highly mysterious circumstances wherein Jayalalithaa was under Sasikala’s ‘care’ for 75 days at Apollo Hospitals. Sasikala allowed no visitors to meet or talk to Jayalalithaa and why and how could she have done so remains an unresolved mystery till today.

Sasikala and her nephew and R.K. Nagar MLA Dinakaran have been heading their faction of the AIADMK after they were formally evicted from the ruling AIADMK.  While Sasikala will be in prison till 2021 in the assets case, Dinakaran has many FERA violation cases pending for disposal against him. In the meantime, taking up a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, the apex Court observed that convicts shouldn’t be heading political parties from prisons.

“When a convict can’t contest election, how can he/she be allowed to head a political party and choose candidates to contest elections?  Convicts are best advised to undertake humanitarian activities such as running schools and hospitals and not political parties as it might even give them a chance to control a Govt.,” it has said.