HC CONFIRMS JAIL FOR SASIKALA’S HUSBAND

CHENNAI: The Madras high court on Friday confirmed the two-year jail term of M Natarajan, husband of jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala, for evasion of customs duty on the import of a luxury car.

Five people, including Natarjan, were held guilty of evading duty to the tune of ₹1 crore in 1994 when they imported a luxury car by allegedly showing it as an older model. The case was eventually handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The agency had accused Natarajan and four others — V Bhaskaran, Balakrishnan, his son Yogesh Balakrishnan, branch manager of Indian Bank Sujarita and assistant bank manager Bhavani — of tax evasion.

While Balakrishnan was absconding, Bhavani turned approver and assisted the CBI by providing evidence against the others.

Following the trial, the CBI court announced a two-year jail term in 2010. This was challenged by Natarajan and the others in the Madras high court, which upheld the conviction and the two-year sentence on Friday.

Natarajan’s conviction is another blow for Sasikala, the beleaguered head of the Mannargudi clan, who is serving a fouryear sentence in a Bengaluru jail after conviction in a disproportionate assets case in February this year. Meanwhile, the high court also upheld a CBI court order convicting the son-in-law and daughter of Sasikala’s sister in a ₹1.68 crore disproportionate assets case registered two decades ago.