Jayalalithaa found guilty in disproportionate assets case

The sentencing, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, is expected shortly. Jayalalithaa, 66, now stands to lose the chief minister’s post, a blow to her party and a boost for rival DMK in the run-up to the 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly elections.Special judge John Michael D'Cunha also convicted Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala Natarajan, her niece Ilavarasi and her nephew and the chief minister's disowned foster son Sudhakaran. They were found guilty of acquiring Rs. 66.65 crore worth of assets by corrupt means between 1991 and 1996 during Jayalalithaa's first tenure as CM.Jayalalithaa had to quit as chief minister immediately after her oath-taking in 2001 following the Supreme Court declaring null and void the action of the then governor Fatima Beevi appointing her as the CM as she had been sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case.The perception in the AIADMK is that senior state minister O Panneerselvam, who is known for his loyalty to ‘Amma’, could be asked to act as chief minister again. In September 2001, when the apex court had set aside Jayalalithaa's appointment, she had installed Panneerselvam.