Chennai:
After 18 years of legal battle, a court in Bangalore is expected to give its verdict in the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on September 20.
The verdict is crucial as it could determine her continuation in office. This is in line with a landmark judgment by the Supreme Court last year which ruled that lawmakers sentenced to more than two years in jail should be disqualified, even if they have appealed to a higher court.
"The prosecution is hopeful of conviction," said Murugesh S Mardi, Assistant Advocate to the Special Public Prosecutor.
Asked what kind of political change the verdict could bring about, DMK Chief M Karunanidhi said on Thursday, "This would definitely bring about a change of heart."
The case pertains to Ms Jayalalithaa's first tenure as Chief Minister between 1991 and 1996 when she allegedly accrued assets worth Rs. 66 crore, vastly disproportionate to her declared sources of income.
The court has directed the 66-year-old AIADMK chief and three other accused - her close aide Sasikala, disowned foster son Sudhakaran and Sasikala's sister-in-law Ilavarasi - to be present in court.
In 2003, the case was moved from Chennai to Bangalore on the orders of the Supreme Court after the DMK alleged the trial wouldn't be fair in Tamil Nadu which was at the time governed by Jayalalithaa.
Recently, the chief minister has been unsuccessful in staving off another case which seeks to punish her for failing income tax returns in the early 90s. The Supreme Court has refused to order that the case be dropped. It is being heard by a court in Chennai.