AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala was on Tuesday convicted by the Supreme Court which set aside the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting her in the 19-year-old disproportionate assets case that also involved late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The apex court restored into the judgement and the findings of the trial court in Bengaluru which had held guilty all the accused including Sasikala’s two relatives, V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi.
The two-judge bench comprising Justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy directed Sasikala and the two relatives to surrender forth with to the trial court in Bengaluru and serve the remaining part of four year jail term.
The verdict disqualifies Sasikala from becoming a legislator, and consequentially she can’t be chief minister either. The bench read the operative portion of the voluminous judgement saying that “according to the materials and evidence place on record, we set aside the judgement and the order of the high court and affirm into the judgement and order the trial court convicting the accused persons.”
The bench said since Jayalalithaa has expired, the proceeding against her is abated. “Nevertheless, we reiterate that having regard to the facts, the charge framed against them by the trial court is restored,” the bench said.
SC, however, abates the appeal proceedings against J SC, however, abates the appeal proceedings against J Jayalalithaa owing to her death on December 5 last.
SC restores into the conviction and sentence awarded SC restores into the conviction and sentence awarded by the trial court in Bengaluru to all the accused.
Sasikala to surrender herself forthwith.
(Feature image source: PTI)