In Jail, Jayalalithaa Opted for Curd Rice, Evening Walks, and No Visitors

Bangalore: Her three weeks as Prisoner 7402  saw former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, waking up early, poring over newspapers for several hours, eating curd rice for lunch, and taking a walk in the evening, according to jail officials.

The 66-year-old was granted bail by the Supreme Court on Friday on medical grounds. In the Bangalore jail where she has been since September 27, she stayed in a small cell that included a desk and ceiling fan. 

"She converses with jail staff in Kannada and is very fluent in English. She also speaks in Telugu and Malayalam," Jaisimha said, adding, "she is disciplined and abides by the prison rules. She has not made any demand in terms of facilities or requirements either to the court or the jail warden," Karnataka Deputy Inspector General (prisons) PM Jaisimha told news agency IANS.

Jayalalithaa was convicted of corruption in an 18-year-old case that was moved from her home state to neighbouring Karnataka in 2001 to ensure her political clout did not influence the trial. She was found guilty of graft in her first term as chief minister in the early 90s; the verdict meant she was disqualified as Chief Minister in the midst of her third term; she picked a long-time loyalist, O Panneerselvam, to replace her.

Though the jail allows visitors (except Sundays) from 10 am to 11. 30 am, Amma, as she is called affectionately by her supporters, refused to meet ministers and other leaders from her party for over a fortnight.

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In jail, Jayalalithaa talked often with the three aides who were convicted along with her -  to - Sasikala Natarajan, V. Sudhakaran and J. Ilavarisi. Jail officials said she would occasionally allow her aides to see her in her room or walk with them in the evenings.

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