National
Sasikala seeks parole to ‘meet ailing husband’, asked to resubmit plea (Lead)
Bengaluru, Oct 3 (IANS) Sidelined AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala on Tuesday applied for 15-day parole to jail authorities here to meet her ailing husband M. Natarajan but was later asked to resubmit her application with more details and affidavits.
“She (Sasikala) applied today (Tuesday) for 15-day parole to visit Chennai in Tamil Nadu to meet her seriously ill husband,” Parpanna Agrahara Central Jail Superintendent M. Somashekar told IANS here.
“The decision on parole and its duration will be decided in a couple of days in consultation with authorities concerned,” he added.
Sasikala’s lawyer G. Sukumaran later told IANS here that her application had not been rejected and that the Jail Superintendent (Somashekar) had asked her to resubmit her plea with more details and supporting documents.
The application was not considered as it was not as per the parole rules, Sukumaran said, adding that she was entitled to parole as she had completed six months of simple imprisonment on August 14.
“As she is serving simple imprisonment since February 15, she is entitled to parole as an ordinary prisoner. She has to fulfil certain requirements for parole, for which we will resubmit the application by Wednesday, the lawyer said.
AIADMK’s Karnataka unit President Va Pugazendi told IANS that a section of the media was claiming that Sasikala’s application was rejected but was silent on the reasons.
“It’s a rumour that her application has been rejected. It’s not rejected but withheld on technical grounds. The Jail Superintendent has asked her lawyers to resubmit the application with more details and affidavits. It will be done,” Pugazendi said.
A confidante of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, 60, is serving a four-year jail term in the prison on the city’s outskirts since February 15 after the Supreme Court on February 14 upheld her conviction in a corruption case in September 2015 by a trial court here.
“Her application will be considered on getting the opinion of the state legal and police departments. We will stipulate the number of days Sasikala will be allowed to be on parole and when she should return,” the Jail Superintendent earlier said.
Co-convicts Elavarasi and V.N. Sudhakaran, Sasikala’s sister in-law and nephew, are also serving their sentence but have not applied for parole.
M. Natarajan, 74, a former bureaucrat in the Tamil Nadu government during Jayalalithaa’s earlier tenures, is awaiting a liver transplant in a private hospital in Chennai, about 350km from here.
He has also registered with the Tamil Nadu Organ Sharing waiting list for cadaver liver transplant.
According to AIADMK faction leader T.T.V. Dinakaran, Natarajan is in the Liver Intensive Care Unit of the Gleneagles Global Health City in Chennai.
Though Jayalalithaa was also convicted in the multi-crore disproportionate assets case as the main accused, she passed away on December 5, 2016, at a private hospital in Chennai.
She was also in the same jail here for three weeks from September 26 to October 20, 2015 but was released on conditional bail by the apex court.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.