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Ist LD: India's Supreme Court convicts Tamil Nadu ruling party chief in corruption case

Xinhua, February 14, 2017 Adjust font size:

India's top court Tuesday found V.K. Sasikala, head of ruling party - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Khazagham (AIADMK) in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, guilty of corruption in a 21-year disproportionate assets case.

The conviction has ended her dream to become the chief minister of the state and rendered her ineligible for the post.

"The Supreme Court today convicted AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala in a disproportionate assets case," a court official said. "The court found Sasikala and two others guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act."

As per the court ruling Sasikala will be jailed for four years.

The case was originally against J. Jayalalithaa, the four-term chief minister of Tamil Nadu. Sasikala along with other two were accomplice in the case. The case dating back to the 1990s was based on fact that during Jayalalithaa's first term as chief minister, she misused her office to amass assets in a shared fortune with Sasikala and other two.

The court judgment has not detailed Jayalalithaa's role because of her demise. The 68-year-old Jayalalithaa died in December last year after an illness.

Sasikala has already served almost six months in jail in the case and now has to serve the remaining imprisonment of three years and six months.

The conviction will bar Sasikala from contesting elections for the next 10 years.

The top court has directed Sasikala, who is presently in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, to surrender immediately before police.

Sasikala, a lifelong associate of Jayalalithaa last week approached state's Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao staking claim for the post.

However, her ambitions split the party with incumbent Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam opposing her move and thereby pushing state into political crisis.

Initially Panneerselvam announced resignation and supported her move to become AIADMK's legislature party leader, however, later on he revolted against Sasikala saying he was forced to resign.

The apex court Tuesday set aside Karnataka high court's order of 2015 of exonerating Jayalalithaa and Sasikala. The high court had overturned a trial court's verdict. However, the Karnataka government had challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court. Endit