Jayalalithaa guilty in assets case, gets 4 year jail term
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was on Saturday held guilty in a disproportionate assets case. A special court in Bangalore dealt a big blow to the AIADMK leader, who has become the first chief minister to be convicted in a wealth case and faces up to seven years’ jail term. Following this, Jayalalithaa, also known as Amma (mother) by her party cadres, is disqualified as a member of Tamil Nadu assembly.
After an 18-year court battle, special Judge John Michael Cunha John Michael Cunha convicted 66-year old Jayalalithaa, who is general secretary of the AIADMK.
He held Jayalalithaa and three others – Sasikala and her relatives V.N. Sudhakaran and J. Illavarasi guilty. Sasikala is the close aide of Jayalalithaa.
Pronouncing the order, the special Judge held Jayalalithaa guilty of amassing wealth disproportionate to known sources of her income under Sections 109 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, said Special Public Prosecutor G. Bhavani Singh. Her aide Sasikala and two others have also been convicted.
“The quantum of sentence will be decided by the judge later, which can range from two to seven years,” Singh added.
(India Today)