Sasikala files review petition in Supreme Court against her conviction in DA case

New Delhi: After being sidelined by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres, party general secretary VK Sasikala on Wednesday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against her conviction in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

In a major setback for Sasikala, who was aspiring to be the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the Supreme Court had on February 14 restored her conviction in the DA case.

Restoring the judgment of the trial court convicting and sentencing her and her two relatives - VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, a bench of Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy had set aside a Karnataka High Court order acquitting the three and late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The immediate fallout of the top court verdict was that Sasikala was out of the electoral field for 10 years - four years when would be in incarceration and six years of disqualification under the Representation of Peoples Act after her release.

The four were convicted by the trial court for amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore during Jayalalithaa's first term as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996.

An advocate privy to the review petition said Sasikala has relied on an earlier apex court verdict of 1991 in which after the death of a prime accused, the proceeding against the co-accused was also abated in a corruption case.

This development comes amid an enraging power struggle between the two warring factions of the AIADMK - one led by former chief minister O Panneerselvam and current Chief Minister E Palanisamy.

The two factions, however, are now looking for a merger, talks of which gained ground after a FIR was registered against Sasikala`s nephew and ousted party leader TTV Dhinakaran for bribing an Election Commission official for staking claim of the `Two Leaves` party symbol, in the wake of the by-polls in the RK Nagar constituency.

Following this, Sukesh Chandrasekhar, Dhinakaran`s alleged middleman, was arrested by police for striking a deal of Rs 50 crore to help the AIADMK faction keep the `Two Leaves` poll symbol.

The Panneerselvam-led group later categorically stated that the merger between the two factions would not be possible until an affidavit stating the removal of Sasikala and Dhinakaran from the party is submitted to the Election Commission.

(With Agency inputs)