Jayalalithaa has not shown signs of a broken woman: Jail official

BANGALORE: AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa is fit and healthy and has not shown any signs of 'a broken woman', a top jail official said.

"I have not seen Jayalalithaa when she was a Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu. Of whatever I have seen meeting her up during my prison rounds - she is fit and healthy and not shown any signs of a broken woman," DIG Prisons, P M Jaisimha told PTI here.

Jayalalithaa, who was denied bail by Karnataka High Court following her conviction and four year sentence in a disproportionate assets case, had on October 10 moved the Supreme Court for bail, hearing of which is coming up tomorrow.

The 66-year-old three-time Chief Minister, who has been behind bars for the last 14 days, challenged the High Court order which had refused her bail.

The most interesting, but suprising part for jail authorities have been the easiness with which they have been able to handle a high-profile and an "inaccessible" former Chief Minister, Jaisimha said.

"The whole credit goes to Jayalalithaa, who has been so cooperative with the jail authorities. It's surprising because Jayalalithaa has not met any AIADMK member and her MLAs and MPs, who had come to meet her in the jail," Jaisimha said.

Jayalalithaa also has been simple in her behaviours and treated jail officials kindly. "Yesterday around 5.30 pm, I met her in the cell and enquired if she is facing any problem. She said she has no problems and thanked us for being kind to her demands," Jaisimha said.

She was eating simple food, having a cup of curd rice for lunch and dinner, along with either a banana or an apple and hot milk along with bread and a cup of coffee in the morning. "She is very strict about her food," he said.

Jayalalithaa also is very fond of reading newspapers and devotes one-and-a-half hours for it. "She reads Tamil and English newspapers - Dina Thanti, The Hindu, Times of India and others, between 6 am to 7.30 am," he said.

Jayalalithaa is prisoner number 7402 - Sasikala and her relatives, Elavarasi and Sudhakaran have been given numbers 7403, 7404 and 7405, respectively.

The Special Court had sent Jayalalithaa and three others to four years in jail. They are lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.