Supreme Court dismisses Sasikala's review petition in disproportionate assets case

In a big setback to AIADMK leader Sasikala, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the review petition against the order of conviction in the disproportionate assets case.

Chennai: In a big setback to AIADMK leader Sasikala, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a review petition against the order of her conviction in a disproportionate assets case and observed that "there is no merit in the plea to review our own judgment".

"We do not find any error in the common judgment impugned, much less an apparent error on the face of the record, so as to call for its review. The review petitions are, accordingly, dismissed," a bench of Justices S A Bobde and Amitava Roy.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Sasikala and other convicts, gave written submissions and propositions which were taken on record by the top court.

The apex court perused the review petitions and dismissed the pleas filed by Sasikala and other convicts in the case.

Sasikala had moved the Supreme Court in May, seeking a re-examination of the court verdict that held her guilty in the case and sentencing her to four-year imprisonment.

She has been lodged in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru since February. The Supreme Court had on February 14 convicted her in a disproportionate assets case along with her two relatives VN Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi.

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 verdict disqualified Sasikala from becoming a legislator and consequentially from holding the post of a Chief Minister either for six years from the date of release of prison under the Act.

The four, J Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran 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.

The development had come amid an enraging power struggle between the then two warring factions of the AIADMK - led by O Panneerselvam and E Palanisamy.