Supreme Court extends Jayalalithaa’s bail

By NewsGram Staff Writer

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the bail period granted to former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and four other accused till May 12, 2015, in connection with the disproportionate assets case.

Earlier last week, the apex court referred a plea seeking removal of a special public prosecutor in the case, after a division bench gave conflicting opinions.

This implies that the Karnataka High Court has to pause until a newly formed three-judge bench of the Supreme Court first confers a concluding decision on the question whether the entire appeal proceedings held in the past three months were quashed due to the presence of Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh.

Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail on September 17, 2014, in a high-profile corruption case that has lasted for almost 20 years.

Jayalalithaa was found guilty of "disproportionately" amassing about Rs. 530 million outside her known sources of income by a special court.

It also forced Jayalalithaa to legally step down as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, which she had been holding since 2011 under her latest term.

However, she was granted bail by the Supreme Court on October 17, 2014, on the grounds of poor health.