Court slaps Rs 100-cr fine; her close aide Sasikalaa, and foster son Sudhakaran too declared guilty
History repeated itself on Saturday for J Jayalalithaa, who will have to step down as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for the second time in a span of 13 years after being found guilty of corruption in an 18-year-old Rs 66.65-crore disproportionate assets (DA) case and sentenced to four-year imprisonment.
Jayalalithaa, who was taken into custody immediately after the judgement and sent to Central Jail in Parappana Agraharal, was also fined a whopping Rs 100 crore — the highest on any politician.
In line with the Supreme Court judgement last year, she stands instantly disqualified as an MlA and thus, becomes the first serving Chief Minister to attract the disqualification. Her political career too is now at stake as the SC ruling also bars a convicted lawmaker from contesting elections for the next six years after the sentence period is over. It means, unless the conviction is stayed or overturned by a superior court, she will be barred from contesting elections for a period of 10 years.
Incidentally, it was also September when she had to step down following her conviction in the Tansi land deal case in 2001. Her close aide N Sasikalaa, her relative J Elavarasi, and her disowned foster son VN Sudhakaran too were found guilty and sentenced to four-year of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10 crore each. If they fail to pay the fine, they will have to serve an additional one year in jail.
Jayalalithaa is expected to appeal against the conviction in the High Court. As she has been sentenced for more than three years, she was taken to jail immediately. She can apply for bail only in the Karnataka High Court, which is on vacation till October 6 for Dussehra.
Jayalalithaa and the three others were convicted on the charges of amassing properties disproportionate to their known sources of income under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal conspiracy under the IPC by special judge John Michael D’Cunha, who is the fifth judge to hear the case of Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets acquired during her first term as Chief Minister between 1991 and 1996.
“The Rs 100 crore would be adjusted from the properties seized by Tamil Nadu vigilance department earlier which is in the custody of court and under attachment,” Assistant prosecutor M Murugesh said.
The conviction in the high-security court complex of Parappana Agrahara near here came amid dramatic scenes outside, where AIADMK supporters burnt effigies of DMK leader Karunanidhi and Subramanian Swamy, who had on June 14, 1996 filed a complaint before the Principal Sessions Judge in Chennai alleging that Jayalalithaa had assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption had filed a chargesheet in the case which was transferred to the court in Bangalore in 2003. Jayalalithaa is the second politician from Tamil Nadu to earn a disqualification as elected representative after former DMK Rajya Sabha member TM Selvaganapathy, who was convicted in the cremation shed scam.