FILE photo: AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa
J Jayalalithaa, the Tamil Nadu leader who has appealed against her conviction in a corruption case, will remain on bail till April, the Supreme Court said today.
Ms Jayalalithaa, 66, spent three weeks in a Bangalore prison before being granted bail by the top court in October. The verdict that found her guilty of corruption during her first term as Chief Minister in the early 90s ended her third term as the head of the Tamil Nadu government. She was disqualified as a lawmaker and picked loyalist O Panneerselvam as her replacement.
While granting her bail, Supreme Court judges had ordered the politician to ensure that all documents relevant to her appeal against
her conviction were filed by mid-December in the Karnataka High Court. The instruction was aimed at ensuring the leader's lawyers would not try to stretch out the process of appeal, allowing her to remain outside jail. The judges stressed that her trial had lasted nearly two decades and the case against her must be dealt with swiftly.
The top court had also ruled that once all papers were filed, the Karnataka High Court would have to take a decision on Ms Jayalalithaa's appeal within three months - a point it underscored today, while asking that daily hearings be held for the case.
The case against Ms Jayalalithaa, who heads the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, was transferred in 2001 to neighbouring Karnataka to ensure the trial would not be influenced by the politics of her home state. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Adored by sycophantic supporters, some of whom shaved their heads when she was found guilty, Ms Jayalalithaa was asked by the Supreme Court to ensure that her party workers do not disrupt law and order in Tamil Nadu to protest against developments in her case.