Sasikala moves SC against conviction

Jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking re-examination of its verdict, in which the court held her guilty in a graft case and dished out a four-year jail term.

The review petition filed by Sasikala and two others — V N Sudhakaran, Jayalalithaa’s foster son, and Elavarasi, widow of Sasikala’s elder brother—has challenged the setting aside of Karnataka hc verdict acquitting her and restoring the trial court verdict.

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister late J Jayalalithaa was also an accused in the case.

The trial court in Bengaluru had convicted Sasikala along with Jayalalithaa, Sudhakaran and Elavarasi in the case for amassing assets disproportionate to their income.

An advocate privy to the review petition said Sasikala has relied on an earlier apex court verdict of 1991 in which after the death of a prime accused, the proceeding against the co-accused was also abated in a corruption case.

The apex court had set aside the Karnataka High Court order acquitting all the four accused and “restored in toto” the trial court’s decision in the 19-yearold disproportionate assets case.

The special trial court had found disproportionate assets worth ₹53.60 crore, which Jayalalithaa and the three others could not account for. PTI