Jayalalithaa acquitted in graft case, celebrations erupt in AIADMK camp

The Karnataka high court on Monday acquitted AIADMK supremo and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a corruption case, clearing the decks for her return to the state's top job, the Hindustan Times reported. Jayalalithaa had appealed against her conviction in the Rs 66.64-crore disproportionate assets case by a Bengaluru trial court, which had sentenced her to 4 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore. The AIADMK chief, along with aides N Sasikala, VN Sudhakaran and J Elasvarasi, was held guilty of holding unaccounted for income during her tenure as chief minister from 1991-96 by the trial court in September last year. Her close aide Sasikala and Sasikala's relatives Sudhakaran and Elavarasi were fined Rs 10 crore each. The lower court had convicted them after a trial lasting 18 long years. Along with Jayalalithaa, all the three were also acquitted by the high court. "The case against Jayalalithaa could not be proved so she has been let off," said her lawyer B Kumar. "Now, there is no restriction on Jayalalithaa to become the CM," added Kumar. Special public prosecutor BV Acharya, however, said that the prosecution was denied an opportunity for oral arguments. "I feel this is a case where the prosecution has been denied adequate opportunity to present their case," Acharya told news agency ANI.