Chennai, March 18: Jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala’s husband, M Natarajan is on ventilator support at a hospital in Chennai. Natarajan, who is suffering severe chest infection is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Gleneagles Global Hospital in Chennai. Reports inform that he was admitted on 16th March, 2018. The hospital has issued a statement saying that he is on ventilator support and his condition is critical.

According to reports, doctors said that 74-year-old chronic liver disease patient visited the hospital two weeks ago after undergoing a surgery in October 2017. "His condition turned critical last night following severe chest congestion," a senior doctor was quoted by TOI.

Maruthappa was admitted to the same hospital for liver failure, kidney failure and lung congestion in October, 2017. The 74-year-old had undergone a kidney and liver transplant at the hospital on October 3. Reports state that he got organs from 19-year-old Karthik N, who was declared brain dead after a road accident in Pudukottai district.

In November 2017, Natarajan was admitted to a hospital, hours after the Madras High Court upheld a trial court order sentencing him to two years imprisonment in a tax evasion case. To recall, Sasikala’s estranged husband and three others had been convicted for conspiracy, forgery, cheating and tax evasion and sentenced to two years in jail. As per reports, the case related to the import of a Toyota Lexus car in 1994, declaring it as a used vehicle and thereby allegedly evading tax to the tune of Rs 1.06 crore.

It must be noted that VK Sasikala is in a Bengaluru jail after her conviction in a Disproportionate assets case. Though the two had been estranged for years, Natarajan had reportedly hinted in many recent interviews that the couple would get back after Sasikala ends her imprisonment tenure.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2018 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).