The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, undergoing four-year imprisonment in a corruption case.
Along with the AIADMK chief, other three convicts – Sasikala Natrajan, VK Sudhakaran and J Ilavarasi – have also been granted bail by the apex court.
An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu said that all four will be released on bail subject to the satisfaction of the condition by the trial court.
Jayalalithaa’s counsel Fali Nariman represented her in the top court.
The apex court passed its order after Jayalalithaa’s counsel assured that her client won’t take any adjournment in the Karnataka High Court and will file paperbook of her appeal within two months.
After filing of all the relevant documents, the SC will ask the high court to expedite and complete the hearing on the appeal within three months.
The ex-Tamil Nadu CM, who in her plea had said that she is suffering from various ailments, volunteered before the SC to be kept in confinement in house for 2-3 months while pressing for bail.
The top court asked Jayalalithaa to direct her party workers not to create law and order problem in the state.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who is fighting the case against Jayalalithaa, told the mediapersons that the ex-Tamil Nadu CM has been given conditional bail by the top court.
Giving details about SC order, Swamy said that Jayalalithaa has been given bail till December 18 and by then her lawyer Fali Nariman has to file paperbook comprising 35,000 pages. “If she fails to submit the documents within the mentioned date her bail will be cancelled immediately,” Swamy added.
“Jayalaithaa herself has to write a letter to her party members to maintain peace in Tamil Nadu and if any incident of violence is reported her bail will be cancelled,” Swamy maintained.
AIADMK cadres erupted in joy after the apex court gave bail to Jayalalithaa. “It is Diwali day for us,” a party cadre said outside the AIADMK headquarters.
Jayalalithaa, in her plea, had said that she has been sentenced only for four years in the case and she is also suffering from various ailments as grounds for her immediate relief. She said as chief minister she did not misuse her powers in this case.
Jayalalithaa moved the apex court on October 09 after the Karnataka High Court on October 07 turned down her bail plea, as well as of other three convicts. The court held that there were no grounds for granting them bail.
A trial court in Bangalore on September 27 convicted Jayalalithaa in the 18-year-old case for possessing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.
In her petitions, Jayalalithaa has maintained that the charge of amassing wealth against her during 1991-96, when she was chief minister for the first time, was false and that she had acquired property through legal means.
Special Court Judge John Michael D’ Cunha had, in his verdict, held Jayalalithaa and three others guilty of corruption that unseated her as CM. He had slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on Jayalalithaa and Rs 10 crore each on the three other accused.
The case related to period from 1991 to 1996 involving Rs 66.65 crore when she became chief minister for the first time.
