Chennai: Husband of jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, M Natarajan, died on Tuesday at a corporate hospital in Chennai, an official said. He was 74.
"It is with profound grief and sorrow that we announce the sad demise of Natarajan Maruthappa at 1.35 am today," an official release issued by Shanmuga Priyan, chief operating officer of Gleneagles Global Health City, said.

Natarajan was admitted to the hospital on Saturday with severe chest infection and was put on ventilator support.

Natarajan underwent a kidney transplant in 2017.
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Natarajan's body was later kept at his Besant Nagar residence for people to pay homage.

"Natarajan Maruthappa was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), Gleneagles Global (Hospital), on March 16 with severe chest infection," the hospital had said in a statement last week.

"Natarajan was on ventilator support and his condition is critical," the hospital's chief operating officer, Shanmuga Priyan had said earlier last week.

Sources close to him said that his body will be taken later in the day to his native village in Thanjavur district for the final rites. However, it was not immediately known when the final rites will be held as the family anticipates a possible parole for Sasikala.

Convicted in the Rs 66.6 crore disproportionate assets case, Sasikala is serving a four year jail term in Bengaluru Parappana Agrahara prison since February, 2017.
She was granted an emergency parole in October, 2017 when Natarajan underwent the kidney transplant.

Natarajan was an avid Tamil activist and was also running a vernacular magazine called 'Puthiya Paarvai'. He was formerly a Public Relations Officer with the state government.

In 2011, he was one of the family members of Sasikala who were expelled by late Chief Minister and then AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa from the party. Though Jayalalithaa expelled Sasikala, her close aide, she later re-inducted her.
VK Sasikala was married to Natarajan Maruthappa for 33 years. He was the first to have introduced Sasikala to Jayalalithaa.

Chennai: A new representative for RK Nagar constituency in Chennai, which fell vacant after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December last year, must be elected by the end of the year, the Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday.

The opposition DMK had alleged in court that one lakh fake voters have been registered for the election in RK Nagar and it should not be held till corrections are made.

The high court has instructed the Election Commission to hold the bypoll before December 31.

The election for the state legislator or MLA from RK Nagar, which Jayalalithaa represented twice, was to be held in April, but was cancelled after huge wads of cash were found in Chennai.

TTV Dhinakaran, sidelined by the AIADMK after two factions of the party headed by Chief Minister E Palanasamy and O Panneerselvam merged, had said that he would contest the election as the candidate of the ruling AIADMK.

Dhinakaran is the nephew of VK Sasikala, who was Jayalalithaa’s closest aide.
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Sasikala is lodged in jail since February in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case.