As proceedings in the appeal by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa against her conviction in the disproportionate assets case draw to a close, there is a mixture of anxiety and expectation among political parties about the impact the verdict may have on their political fortunes.
Arguments by the prosecution and defence concluded in the Karnataka High Court this week. The outcome of the appeal by Ms. Jayalalithaa and three others against the four-year jail term awarded to them by the trial court last September may determine the shape of politics in the near future. She lost her post as Chief Minister after the verdict. Assembly elections are due in the State before May 2016.
Sources in her legal team said written submissions on her behalf would be made on Tuesday. “We expect the verdict to be delivered by end of March,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
In December, the Supreme Court, hearing Ms. Jayalalithaa’s bail application, directed the formation of a Special Bench in the Karnataka High Court to hear the appeal on a day-to-day basis. It asked the High Court to wrap up the hearing in three months. The deadline ends on March 18. Justice C.R. Kumarasamy is hearing the matter and is yet to reserve his verdict.
Almost all leaders in the AIADMK have been busy arranging and participating in special prayers for her acquittal in the last three months. An AIADMK parliamentarian said the best possible legal team was put together to defend Ms. Jayalalithaa. It included two former High Court judges.
“We got senior advocate Nageshwara Rao to appear for her. We all expect her to be our Chief Ministerial candidate for 2016,” the MP said.
Elsewhere in other parties, a mood of uncertainty prevailed over the last three months, with some turning down feelers from opposing camps for more political coordination in anticipation of the verdict.
“Which way the appeal goes will determine not only the AIADMK’s future, but also shifts in electoral formations. If there is a positive verdict for Ms. Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK will be a highly preferred partner,” said a senior leader in Tamil Manila Congress. In consequence, the DMK will find it hard to attract allies, he said.
Acquittal will also give Ms. Jayalalithaa one year’s time to strengthen the State administration before the Assembly elections. The Opposition parties have been accusing the government of being in a state of paralysis since the conviction.’’
