More time for Sasikala, SC judgement in Jaya's DA case not listed for Monday

New Delhi: The much-awaited judgement of the Supreme Court in a disproportionate assets (DA) case in which late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and AIADMK leader V K Sasikala were accused, is not listed for pronouncement on Monday.

The judgement may be pronounced any day in the coming week as speculation was rife in the wake of a statement made by a bench headed by Justice P C Ghose on February 6 indicating that the verdict would be pronounced within a week.

The verdict is being eagerly awaited as Sasikala, who has been elected the leader of AIADMK legislature party, has already made a claim for the post of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

Justice Ghose, along with Justice Amitava Roy, had last year after a marathon hearing, reserved the verdict in the appeal against the Karnataka High Court order acquitting all accused in the 19-year-old DA case.

The high court had reversed the 2014 verdict of the special court in Bengaluru which had convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore on her.

Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and her relatives V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, were accused of allegedly amassing disproportionate asserts to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore during her first term as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996.

They were also held guilty by the trial court and sentenced to four years with a fine of Rs 10 crore each.

A PIL has been filed in the apex court against Sasikala seeking to restrain her from being sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister till it decides the DA case against her. This matter is listed for hearing on February 17.