Manic celebrations in TN as SC grants Jayalalithaa bail, suspends her sentence

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has been granted bail by the Supreme Court in the  disproportionate assets case in a Karnataka court which had sentenced her to four years in jail.

Jayalalithaa had moved the Supreme Court seeking bail last week on several grounds including ill health, after her plea was rejected by the Karnataka High Court on 7 October which held that there were no grounds for granting bail.

Besides her health grounds, Jayalalithaa had invoked section 389 of the Code of Criminal Procedure seeking the suspension of her sentence and granting of bail till the pendency of her appeal against the trial court conviction.

The Supreme Court has suspended the sentence until the appeal against the trial court verdict is decided.

Relief for Amma: PTI

PTI said she had received bail after giving the apex court an assurance that she would not seek any adjournment of her appeals case in the high court, and would file a paperbook of her appeal within 2 months. "We will not give you a day more if you fail to file the paperbook within 2 months", the Supreme Court had told her.

The apex court had also said that the Karnatala High Court would need to offer a verdict in the case within three months.

The former Chief Minister also pledged to the court that she will remain in confinement of her house for 2-3 months while pressing for bail. The Supreme Court made that pledge a requirement, noting that since she had pleaded ill health, she must not move out of the premises of her home, and also not receive any visitors.

The court had also asked her to direct her party workers not to create a law and order problem in the state in a reference to the violent protests and shut downs that were by incensed AIADMK workers soon after she was sentenced. There were also threats made against people from Karnataka at the time.

Jayalalithaa was convicted after a complaint filed by Subramanian Swamy in a Chennai court in 1996. It was alleged that the value of Jayalalithaa's assets increased to Rs.66.65 crore when she demitted office in 1996 after a five year stint. Before assuming office as Chief Minister on July 1, 1991, the value of her assets was Rs 2.01 crore, it was alleged. Jayalalithaa had then declared that she was drawing only Re 1 as salary.

One particular event that led to suspicions about the former Chief Minister was the lavish wedding that she threw for her god son Sudhakaran in 1995. According to a Times of India report, the extent of extravagance at the wedding was something like this: A 2 km long route for the bharat, 10 dining halls with a capacity of 25,000 each and both Jaya and Sasikala were covered in diamonds. The report adds that the "marriage pandal sprawled over 75,000sqft."

Swamy later petitioned for the case to be moved to Karnataka, claiming it would not get a fair hearing in Karnataka.

While Jayalalithaa was the first accused in the case, her aide Sasikala, her erstwhile foster son V N Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi, a relative of Sasikala, are the other accused.

The case, in its 18 year journey has seen many petitions filed by the accused involving questions, including that of law, procedures and relief in several courts like the trial court, High Courts of Madras and Karnataka and the Supreme Court.