Suicides after Jayalalithaa sentence: AIADMK gives Rs 7 crore to families

CHENNAI : 05/06/2013 : Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa interacting with people who joined the AIADMK from other parties, in Chennai on Wednesday. Photo : M_Vedhan.

AIADMK on Saturday said that it has disbursed over Rs 7 crore as relief to families of 244 persons who allegedly committed suicide following Jayalalithaa’s conviction in a graft case by a lower court last year.

The AIADMK supremo was subsequently acquitted by the Karnataka High Court on May 11.

“So far, Rs 7.32 crore has been given away to families of 244 persons who committed suicide and Rs two lakh to four persons towards medical treatment,” a party release said.

Overall, the party has disbursed Rs 7.34 crore, it added.

Party supremo J. Jayalalithaa had announced a relief of Rs three lakh each to the families of the victims, while appealing to supporters not to resort to extreme steps in the wake of her sentence.

She had been sentenced in the Rs 66.66 crore disproportionate assets case by a Bengaluru court in September last.