Frugal supper for Jayalalithaa in Bangalore jail

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha had a frugal supper late Saturday in the central jail here where she has been lodged after a special court sentenced her to four years imprisonment in a corruption case.

"As per the jail manual, Jayalalithaa was served ragi (malt) ball, plain rice, sambar and curd rice with pickle," a prison official told IANS later.

The former actor turned AIADMK chief will spend the night at a special cell set up in the women's wing of the jail, with special guards posted for her security round the clock.

As Jayalalithaa has a Z plus security, the jail at Parapanna Agrahara in the city's outskirts, has turned into a fortress, with police imposing prohibitory orders within 5km radius under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to prevent assembly of more than five people.

Soon after special judge John Micheal D'Cunha pronounced the sentence at 5 p.m. in the special court, set up in the jail premises for security reasons, Jayalalitha was taken into judicial custody for medical check-up.

Being diabetic and having some ailments, the 66-year-old chief minister was taken to a state-run government hospital in the southern suburb under police escort for medical tests and treatment, as directed by the judge on her appeal.

After treatment, Jayalalithaa was driven back to the jail premises.