By S. Sethuraman
A huge cloud overhanging the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, with dark forebodings for its future sedulously fostered by political rivals, hungering to take over in 2016, dramatically vanished into thin air, with the Karnataka High Court’s acquittal of Ms. Jayalalithaa, former Chief Minister, of charges in the Disproportionate Assets case.
The verdict delivered on May 11 by Mr Justice C R Kumaraswamy, allowing the appeals of Ms. Jayalalithaa and three of her associates, against their conviction and sentence by a lower court in September last, clears the way for Ms. Jayalalithaa to resume her leadership of Government.
DMK, hoping for the High Court’s upholding of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s conviction, had been in desperate search for allies for the 2016 Assembly elections to make a combined onslaught to end the AIADMK dominance once and for all.
Other smaller Dravidian parties and BJP had their own ambitions and making electoral calculations, with the Congress alone seemingly inclined to go with DMK once again. BJP for its part counts on its huge membership drive and anti-incumbency factor though the allies in Lok Sabha elections have virtually deserted NDA.
None of these parties could conceal their shock at the outcome of the two-decade long legal battle going finally in favour of the AIADMK leader, except for Mr. G K Vasan, leader of the Tamil Manila Congress, who said the judgement should be “respected” and not “politicalised”. All the parties would now be forced to re-think their plans.
Massive “victory” celebrations were on throughout Tamil Nadu, given the AIADMK hold and the celebrity status of ‘Amma’, whose Poes Gardens residence was besieged by crowds chanting triumphant slogans. AIADMK leaders said that the verdict represented victory for “Truth, Justice and Dharma”.
Tamil Nadu was in a state of tension since the morning, not knowing which way the result would go, and Mr Justice Kumaraswamy’s instant pronouncement of the verdict (in his 918-page order) triggered wild scenes of joyous relief for the crowds assembled near the Court and across Tamil Nadu with flashes pouring via the electronic media.
Mr M K Stalin, Mr A Raja and Mr T K Elangovan, DMK leaders, had huddled at Mr Karunanidhi’s residence awaiting the verdict. That they were rudely disappointed at the outcome was evident. Mr. Subramaniam Swamy, who had at one stage impleaded himself in this case, said he had been “shocked” by the judgement.
The DMK leader Mr Karunanidhi hopes that the Special Prosecutor of the Karnataka Government in this case, Mr B K Acharya would pursue the matter further with the higher court. Mr Swamy has said if the Karnataka Government would go for reference to higher levels, he could make himself a party.
The AIADMK Chief Minister, Mr O Panneerselvam was now expected to make way for his leader Ms. Jayalalithaa to resume leadership of the Government. AIADMK legislative party meeting was held today to celebrate the outcome and await guidance from Ms. Jayalalithaa.
The AIADMK leader herself in a brief statement later in the day said that the verdict was “validation of truth and justice” and she had not done any wrong. The case was a conspiracy hatched by Mr Karunanidhi’s DMK which wanted to “destroy” AIADMK but “God has willed otherwise”.
Considering the day-long programmes of worship and special ‘pujas’ in temples in several parts of Tamil Nadu over the last two days for the success for the AIADMK leader, it may not be far-fetched to assume that the sought-for Divine Intervention had worked in their favour.
Mr Justice Kumaraswamy headed a Special Bench of Karnataka High Court which was constituted as directed by the Supreme Court to hold continuous hearing of Ms. Jayalalithaa’s appeal against conviction and sentence, along with three others, and complete it within three months.
While this process was nearly complete by end March, the DMK leader Mr K Anbazhagan had moved a petition challenging the AIADMK Government’s earlier appointment of Mr Bhavani Singh as special public prosecutor, instead of the Karnataka Government making its own appointment.
The apex court struck down that appointment and the Karnataka Government named Mr B K Acharya as SPP but his submission had to be done in writing within a day. The 3-judge bench of the Supreme Court, however, had ruled there would be no re-hearing of the appeal and that the verdict would be delivered by May 12, as set before.
Opposition parties in Tamil Nadu were counting on a number of factors to work in their favour as the Panneerselvam Government had not initiated any new welfare programmes over the six months since Ms. Jayalalithaa stepped down, following her conviction in September 2014. They also hurled charges of corruption, failure to maintain law and order and deferring of major events like the inauguration of Chennai Metro awaiting for their supreme leader to come out of the case.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said that the political conspiracy of DMK against her had been foiled and warned that people would also not be misled by their propaganda of the non-functioning of the Panneerselvam Government. (IPA Service)