The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and three other convicts in the disproportion- ate assets case will continue to be on bail till the Karnataka High Court disposes of their appeals, the Supreme Court ordered on Friday.
The extension of the bail period came even as the High Court sought time till April-end to deliver judgment on the appeals. The Supreme Court’s three-month deadline to complete the appeal proceedings ends by mid-April. A Bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra agreed with the High Court’s request, fixing May 12 as a tentative deadline. But as pointed out in court, it is unlikely the High Court would be able to pronounce its judgment by then.
Ms. Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after a trial that had taken 18 years to conclude.
