Sasikala convicted in DA case: How a Poes Garden raid did her in
Over the past week or so, one of the staunch supporters of VK Sasikala claim to form a government in Tamil Nadu was BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. He was seen openly supporting her in TV channels and even met the governor at Chennai. Ironically then, the final blow that dashed Sasikala's hopes of occupying the chief minister's chair came from a bullet fired by Swamy two decades ago. In fact, while Swamy's complaint named only Jayalalithaa, a raid of Poes garden and evidences gathered there and other locations in 1996-97, brought in Sasikala, her nephew VN Sudhakaran and her sister in law J Elavarasi as accused no 2, 3 and 4 in what came to be known as the disproportionate assets (DA) case. The trial court judgment by Justice John Michael Cunha in September 2014, records that the criminal law was set in motion against former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa by Subramanian Swamy, the then president of Janata Dal.
He lodged a complaint on June 14, 1996 alleging that, subsequent to the assumption of the public office of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa acquired properties and earned income disproportionate to her known source of income. The complaint came a month after the AIADMK was condemned to its worst defeat till date in the Assembly elections. Jayalalithaa herself lost in Barugur. Her party was reduced to four seats from 164, five years earlier.
Re 1 income, crores of assets According to the trial court judgment, in 1987, total value of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's properties were worth only Rs 7.5 lakh, a good portion inherited from her late mother NR Sandhya. In addition, she had about Rs 1 lakh in cash. That year, after MGR died, Jayalalithaa plunged into full-time politics and managed to garner support of a significant number of party men. She managed a better haul than the rival Janaki faction in 1989 assembly elections, which DMK won. And, took control of the party and the iconic two leaves symbol in time for the next election. As of July 1, 1991, Jayalalithaa, her aide VK Sasikala and the combined worth of the entities in which they were partners namely Jaya Publications, Sasi Enterprises and Namadu MGR were estimated to be around Rs 2.01 crore. But, the surge in assets after the AIADMK swept to power was even steeper. "Her declared wealth during 1989-90 was Nil and it increased to Rs.1.89 crore in 199091; Rs. 2.60 crores in 1991-92; Rs.5.82 crores in 1992-93; Rs.91.33 crores in 93-94 and Rs.38.21 crores during 94-95 though she was receiving only 1/- Rupee per month towards her salary as Chief Minister," Swamy's complaint had said.
Article Source – Business standard