P  Rajagopal, the 71-year-old owner of the famous Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain which has presence in Asia, US, Europe, Australia and Africa, was on Tuesday sent by a Chennai court to Puzhal Central prison to begin life imprisonment for the murder of the husband of a woman employee he wanted to marry.

The man, whose rags to riches story has become a folklore in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere, tried all tricks to get himself saved from the ignominy of going to jail. However, the Supreme Court early on Tuesday refused to delay his surrender.

The SC had in May rejected his plea challenging the life term awarded by the Madras High Court and had directed him to surrender before the court in 100 days. Rajagopal got admitted to a hospital citing ill health. The SC on Tuesday refused to entertain his plea for an exemption from jail sentence till his recovery.

The restaurant baron was brought to a Chennai court on Tuesday afternoon in an ambulance with an oxygen mask fitted in his face. Though he was carried to the courtroom on a stretcher, the judge was not impressed by the theatrics and ordered that he be taken to the Puzhal prison.

The murder case which culminated in the life imprisonment of Rajagopal took place in 2001. The restaurateur who had married twice and was a grandfather took the astrological advice to get married for the third time because he had been told by his astrologer that it would bring him more luck and prosperity. The bride he chose was Jeevajyothi, daughter of one of his own employees. The girl’s father, to save her from the prowling eyes of Rajagopal married her off to a youth by name Santhakumar.

But Rajagopal was adamant of marrying her and threatened Santhakumar to leave Jeevajyothi. When his persuasions and threats failed to yield any result, Rajagopal ordered his henchmen to finish off Santhakumar and they executed the murder. But the police acting on a missing person complaint filed by Jeevajyothi solved the case and arrested Rajagopal and eight of his accomplices in the crime.

The trial court found Rajagopal guilty and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment in 2004. Though Rajagopal challenged the lower court order, the Madras High Court not only upheld the sentence by the lower court but increased the quantum of punishment to life imprisonment. Rajagopal was in for another shock when the Supreme Court too dismissed his appeal and asked him to surrender to the court by July 7.

Tuesday’s drama was a last ditch attempt by the baron to avoid going to prison and it too ended in fiasco. The conviction and sentencing of Rajagopal has not affected the hotel chain in anyway as all the Saravana Bhavan restaurants across Chennai and elsewhere functioned in a routine manner serving its famous delicacies including soft idli, vada, dosa and sambar.

Perhaps the employees of the eatery chain may serve the VIP prisoner in Puzhal Jail the same delicacies from Wednesday.