Bangalore: With the acquittal of arch rival AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa coming as a reversal for it, DMK top brass on Monday went into a huddle to work on a political and legal strategy following the development. AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa is looking at her return as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. AIADMK chief could take the oath of chief minister within a week as per reports,
As per AIADMK sources, Jayalalithaa could be sworn in before May 20. However, there was no confirmation of the date with several dates floating around. By law, Jayalalithaa will have to get elected to the Assembly within six months after becoming the chief minister.
Justice has won,” the former Tamil Nadu chief minister said on Monday hours after a special bench of the Karnataka High Court in Bengaluru acquitted her in the Rs 66 crore cases in which she was sentenced to four years in jail by a lower court.
The charges were not “sustainable”, Justice CR Kumaraswamy said in the much-awaited verdict in the case in which Jayalalithaa, 67, was also fined a whopping Rs 100 crore. The judge also acquitted Jayalalithaa’s three co-convicts who too were sentenced to four years in jail and fined Rs 10 crore each. They included close aide Sasikala Natarajan. The lower court was told to also release Jayalalithaa’s confiscated assets.
In 2001, she stepped down as chief minister following a Supreme Court verdict which held that she cannot hold the office after being convicted for criminal offences. However, in 2002, Jayalalithaa again became the chief minister after being acquitted by the Madras High Court. She was later elected from Andipatti constituency.
Bureau Report
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