With just one working day left for the Supre me Court in this calendar year, it has now become clear that the final verdict on
corruption case
against the deceased chief minister
Jayalalithaa and her three associates will not be delivered in 2016, reports
A Subramani.
While the judgment itself is delayed by more than six months, the unexpected death of Jayalalithaa on December 5 has further complicated the `66.65crore disproportionate assets case where Jayalalithaa and her friend V K Sasikalaa are the prominent accused, besides J Elavarasi and V N Sudhakaran.
While one school of jurists feel the charges against Jayala lithaa alone would abate, that too after the verdict is delivered, another section feels nothing may survive in a Prevention of Corruption Act case if the public servant dies. Other suspects are incidentally included as conspirators. The entire appeal may abate since its a mere continuation of trial, they say .
Just as Jayalalithaa, Sasikalaa too was convicted and awarded four-year imprisonment by a Karnataka court in September 2014, before the HC reversed it in May 2015. Now that Sasikalaa is reportedly preparing to assume leadership of AIADMK, her political prospects hinge on the outcome of the case.