In what has come as a huge setback for AIADMK (Amma) General Secretary VK Sasikala, the Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed her review plea in the Disproportionate Assets case.
While dismissing her petition, the bench comprising of Justice SA Bobde and Justice Amitava Roy stated “We do not find any error in the common judgement impugned, much less an apparent error on the face of the record, so as to call for its review.”
Sasikala, currently lodged in the Bengaluru Parapana Agrahara jail, had moved the apex court in the first week of May this year.
In her review petition, she had contested the SC verdict on February 14 that had found her, sister-in-law Ilaivarasi and nephew Sudhakaran guilty in the DA case.
Sasikala had argued that in a previous judgement in 1991, the SC had said that all proceedings against the accused in a disproportionate assets case will be abated if the prime accused or public servant was no more.
With former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the prime accused in the case, passing away on 5 December 2016, Sasikala's petition asked for abatement of all charges.
The pex court had abated all charges against Jayalalithaa. It upheld the same even when the Karnataka government appealed against it.
A special trial court in Bengaluru had convicted all four accused in 2014 for amassing disproportionate assets worth Rs 67 crore during Jayalalithaa's first stint as Chief Minister.
The SC verdict comes at a time when Sasikala is mired in a controvery over allegations that she had bribed jail officials to avail facilities. It also comes two days after the merged AIADMK factions announced their decision to expel Sasikala from the party when the General Council is convened.