AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa approached the Supreme Court on Thursday to suspend her sentence in a disproportionate assets case where a Karnataka court sentenced her to four years in prison.
lodged in prison, Jayalalithaa through her lawyers is likely to mention the matter on Friday and seek urgent hearing on her petition seeking bail on the ground that the appeal against the trial court order is unlikely to end soon. Being incarcerated for past 12 days, the former TN Chief Minister claimed ill-health as a ground for early release along with the benefit provided for bail to women accused.
The Karnataka High Court had earlier denied bail to Jayalalithaa following which her legal team worked overtime to prepare the appeal for Supreme Court. Along with her, two other accused including her close aide Sasikala and VN Sudhakaran, disowned foster-son of the former Chief Minister have also sought bail.
The 66-year-old AIADMK chief maintained that the charge of amassing wealth against her during 1991-96 when she was the Chief Minister for the first time was false and that she had acquired property through legal means. The Bangalore Special Court held Jayalalithaa and three others guilty of corruption and even slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on her.