Jaya plea posted for hearing on April 9

Jaya plea posted for hearing on April 9
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

CHENNAI, APRIL 3: The Madras High Court today posted to April 9 a petition by ex-Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalitha seeking a stay of her conviction in two Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation (TANSI) land deal cases which effectively barred her from contesting polls.

When the petition filed by the AIADMK supremo under Sec. 389 of CRPC came up, Justice Malai Subramaniam posted it for hearing on April 9.

Jayalalitha, who has been sentenced to two prison terms of three years and two years respectively in the corruption cases involving land belonging to the state-owned TANSI, moved the court on Monday after the announcement of the date for the assembly polls.

Jayalalitha’s counsel said Sec.8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act barred a person convicted and sentenced to two years and above from contesting elections for six years and sought a stay to enable her contest the May 10 polls.

Counsel for CB-CID said there was no need for issuing notice to the agency as it was ready to argue the case.

The High Court had already suspended the sentences, pending disposal of her appeals in the trial court, but the AIADMK supremo may need to get the conviction stayed to set at rest doubts about her eligibility to contest.

Jayalalitha, her friend Sasikala were among six persons convicted by a Special Judge on October 9 last for buying TANSI property in the name of two firms, in which both were partners, below the market value thereby causing a loss of over Rs four crore to the exchequer. They were sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment in the ‘Jaya Publications’ case and two years in the ‘Sasi Enterprises’ case.