Jaya readies for polls, ask court to let her contest

Jaya readies for polls, ask court to let her contest
Express News Service

Chennai, April 2: Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha has moved the Madras High Court with an appeal to suspend her conviction in the TANSI case to enable her to contest the ensuing Assembly elections.

Jayalalitha contended that the ``shaky judgement of the trial court containing loose ends can be dealt with in a fitting manner'' by suspending the conviction. The appeal is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

In October last year, Special Court-III judge P Anbazhagan had convicted Jayalalitha in the TANSI case relating to Jaya Publications and Sasi Enterprises and sentenced her to rigorous imprisonment for three years and two years respectively. On her appeal, the Madras High Court on November 3, 2000, stayed the sentence and granted her bail.

Jayalalitha termed this appeal as a ``continuation of proceedings'' which did not conclude with a conviction by a trial court. She said if she was not permitted to contest in the elections and if the court decided in her favour later, the ensuing ``loss'' would not be compensated nor remedied.

``If a leader was put under a cloud, it would have its effect and impact on the cadres and the voting public...In a democratic country like ours, we should take pride in allowing the public to choose their leader freely, rather than in crippling the will or in maiming the voice of the public by focussing on the trial court judgement only,'' she argued.

Jayalalitha contended that the special judges order lacked the ``statutory fulfillment and legal concept'' to disqualify her under the Representation of People's Act.