Bangalore: In a blow to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa a Bangalore trial court has sentenced to 4 years in prison along with a fine of Rs 100 crore for his role in the 18-year-old active case disproportionate Corruption Prevention Act. The others convicted in the case has also been given a prison sentence of four years, along with a fine of Rs 10 crore.
He has been convicted in the case, along with her close aide Sasikala and her relative Ilavarasi. Your disowned foster son Sudhakaran also been convicted.
With the verdict against the AIADMK leader faces an immediate disqualification from the Assembly and will have to resign as chief minister. She will be arrested soon.
Special Judge John Michael D'Cunha sentenced 66-year-old AIADMK chief in a case of possessing assets to the tune Rs 66.65 million rupees disproportionate to his known sources of income during 1991-96 when he was prime minister for the first time.
The lengthy trial saw five judges - Pachapure AS, AT Munoli, BM Mallikarjunaiah, MS Balakrishna and John Michael D'Cunha. The case was transferred to the Special Court in Bangalore in 2003 by the Supreme Court on a petition by DMK leader K Anbazhagan who had expressed doubts about the conduct of a fair trial as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
Appearing before the court four times, Jayalalithaa has answered 1,339 questions in closed hearings during which it was held that the case was "politically motivated" and "fabricated" at the initiative of its rival DMK.
Controversy also swirled around the case after Advocate General BV Acharya Karnataka resigned as Special Prosecutor and Bhavani Singh came in place. Questions were raised in the Supreme Court on the appointment of Singh too. The case was filed by Subramanian Swamy in 1996 he was arrested and jailed for several days after DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu polls 1996 Assembly.
Cases of violence have been reported from various parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and Madurai after the verdict against Jayalalithaa. AIADMK supporters indulged in stone pelting and arson and forced the closure of shops in many areas.
According to police, a shuttle bus state-owned corporation was set on fire in the village of Veppur and about 20 buses were damaged in stone-pelting in Cuddalore district.
Before the verdict, the area around the stadium was converted into a fortress as platoons Police Reserve State of Karnataka, the armed city and Reserve Force Rapid Action were deployed and hundreds of agents police, including plainclothes.
His sentence has come as a blow to the ruling party, casting doubt on the political future of the 66-year-old leader ahead of the 2016 assembly polls. Jayalalithaa has earned the dubious honor of becoming the first sitting chief minister in the country to be convicted under the provisions of the Law on Prevention of Corruption.
While a cloak of darkness descended AIADMK headquarters in Royapettah, the archrivals celebrate the conviction of dozens of workers Jayalalitha DMK headquarters Arivalayam packed and Karunanidhi's residence.
Jayalalithaa, in the past, had to resign as chief minister in 2001 when the Supreme Court said that she can not hold office, since she was previously convicted in two cases of corruption in 2000, which, however, was overturned more later. She was acquitted on several other cases filed during the DMK regime.
Today's verdict has been a jolt to the ruling AIADMK, since I had been enjoying a day of victory in all elections held since April 2011, when the defeated party DMK. The party had raised a stellar performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls winning 37 of the 39 states in the state, but their hopes of a pivotal role in the center with the BJP failed to gather majority on their own.
However, there is no threat to party like AIADMK government has a solid majority of 150 seats in the Assembly of 234 members. After observation of the apex court in 2001 that can not continue in office, Jayalalithaa had made his loyal assistant and then not-so-known O Panneerselvam face as his successor to power.
After being acquitted of the charges in the High Court of Madras, who had contested election from Andipatti and became Prime Minister again in 2002 Panneerselvam is also one of the names currently making the rounds in AIADMK circles as one of the likely to take over as the next Prime Minister must resign if Jayalalithaa.
The others are Transport Minister V Senthil Balaji and Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan and even former Secretary and Principal Consultant for the state government, Sheela Balakrishnan.
