Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
In a huge disappointment for AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa, the Karnataka high court Tuesday refused bail to her in the disproportionate assets case.
The bail wasn’t given even after prosecution lawyer Bhawani Singh told the court that there was no objection in granting conditional bail to Jayalalithaa.
Earlier there was huge confusion as news first broke on television that Jayalalithaa had got bail and AIADMK supporters across Tamil Nadu started celebrating.
Last week the High Court vacation bench deferred hearing till October 7 the bail pleas of Jayalalithaa and her close aide Sasikala and her relatives VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, who were also convicted in the case.
Jaya was sentenced to four years in jail and Rs. 100 crore fine after being found guilty by a special court in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case.
She was convicted of misusing her office during her first stint as chief minister from 1991 to 1996 to accumulate wealth beyond her known sources of income.
Before the bail order came in, a poster threatening Kannadigas living in Tamil Nadu if the convicted party supremo Jayalalithaa was not released from jail created a controversy.
“Warning… immediately release people’s chief minister Amma… otherwise we will hold Kannadigas living in Tamil Nadu as hostages,” the huge poster put up in certain locations in south Chennai said.
The AIADMK, however, has distanced itself from the posters and said it will discipline the person who did it for cheap publicity.
The poster has the names of social welfare minister B Valarmathi, Tiruchy Lok Sabha MP, P Kumar, VP Kalairajan, MLA and a party functionary Thousand Lights KC Vijay.
AIADMK south Chennai (North) district party secretary VP Kalairajan claimed, “This has been done by an expelled functionary KC Vijay. This was done without our knowledge”.
Kalairajan said the party has ordered the immediate removal of posters in locations wherever it was put up.
“We are guided by people’s chief minister Amma’s lofty ideals to serve people without any discrimination. The Tamil Nadu government is committed to the welfare of all sections of people.”
Bangalore police commissioner MN Reddy spoke to his Chennai counterpart about the poster and was assured that Kannadigas in Tamil Nadu are safe.
Chennai Police have removed it and promised to take action against “miscreants”.
Over the last few days her supporters had been holding protests and prayers across the state which have been mostly peaceful barring minor incidents.
“It is an anti-democratic demand to subvert a democratically-elected government,” said AIADMK office bearer, Avadi Kumar.
“AIADMK protests are not causing any inconvenience to the people,” he added.
Opposition parties, the DMK and DMDK, raised their voice against the protests and are questioning how the protests have been allowed without permission.
Private schools and colleges had declared a bandh for Tuesday in support of Jayalalithaa but beat a hasty retreat when their decision was challenged in the Madras high court.
Private bus operators also stopped plying buses to Bangalore and said they would stop the services at Hosur bordering Bangalore.
The Bangalore central jail at Parappanna Agrahara is about 40 km from Hosur.
