A special court in Bangalore on Saturday convicted Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case, a verdict that raises questions over her continuance in the post. Jayalalithaa’s close aide Sasikala Natarajan and J.Ilavarasi and her disowned foster son Sudhakaran were also convicted. <br />Special Judge John Michael D’Cunha convicted the 66-year-old All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief in a case of owning assets to the tune Rs66.65 crores disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991-96 when she was chief minister for the first time. <br />AIADMK spokesperson C. Ponnaiyan said the court has succumbed to the pressure from centre. “We will not stop here, and shall proceed to the higher court,” said Ponnaiyan. <br />“We at AIADMK still believe this is a political vendetta. This is the very reason why the DMK has decided not to contest an early election. <br />The public sentiment is without doubt in support of Jayalalithaa,” Ponnaiyan said. <br />The verdict was delivered at a makeshift court in the Parappana Agrahara prison complex in the presence of Jayalalithaa and the other accused. <br />If the judge sentences her to imprisonment for a period not less than two years, the AIADMK leader will stand disqualified immediately from the assembly and may have to step down as chief minister. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />For More information on this news visit : http://www.newsx.com/<br />Connect with us on Social platform at : http://www.facebook.com/newsxonline<br />Subscribe to our YouTube Channel : http://www.youtube.com/newsxlive
