Snehalata came under national spotlight for her role in the Kannada film Samskara, written by U. R. Ananthamurthy and directed by her husband.
She is the founder and director of CWC (Concerned for Working Children), a Bangalore-based NGO that was nominated for 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
They spoke out against the tyrannical Indira Gandhi regime and the proclamation of Emergency in consideration with their affiliation to Lohia's principles.
[6] She was a close friend of George Fernandes, the trade unionist and politician and was arrested on 2 May 1976[7][8] for being a part of the Baroda dynamite case.
She was held without trial for eight months in Bangalore Central Jail, enduring regular torture and was subjected to inhumane conditions.
[9] As a result of chronic asthma and debilitating lung infection, she died on 20 January 1977, just 5 days after her release.