Former TN CM Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala granted bail in preferential treatment in prison case
Bengaluru, Mar 11: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa's aide V K Sasikala and her sister-in-law J Ilavarasi were on Friday granted regular bail by a special court dealing with anti-corruption cases in connection with the alleged preferential treatment given to them during their jail term in the Bengaluru Central Jail in disproportionate assets case.
Along with them, the then assistant superintendent of Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara in the city and the prison security officer too appeared before the special judge K Lakshminarayana Bhat.
Sasikala and Ilavarasi were ordered to pay a bond of Rs three lakh, and will have to appear again on April 16.
The then Chief Superintendent and the Superintendent of the Central jail, who too are accused in this case, have got a stay from the Karnataka High Court against the ACB inquiry, sources said.
The case relates to the alleged preferential treatment to Sasikala during her stay in the Bengaluru jail in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
In 2017, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police (Prison) D Roopa had claimed that Sasikala was given preferential treatment and she was allowed to wear civil dress instead of the clothes prescribed for prisoners.
An inquiry conducted by a retired IAS officer on the directions of the state government reportedly revealed that a separate kitchen functioned for her inside the jail.
The Karnataka government had sanctioned the prosecution of accused people on December 30 last year, and the charge sheet was filed before the special court on January seven this year.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
