DA case: Supreme Court verdict may hit Sasikala's plans

NEW DELHI: In a development that could set political pulses racing in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court is set to deliver next week its verdict on the disproportionate assets case against VK Sasikala, who is set to become the chief minister.

The case relates to petitions challenging the acquittal of Sasikala, close aide of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, and the verdict is likely to more or less coincide with her taking the reins of the government. An adverse verdict could cast a cloud on her continuance as chief minister if she is sworn in and cause political uncertainty.

The Supreme Court had on June 7 last year reserved its order on a bunch of petitions challenging the acquittals of Jayalalithaa, Sasikala and two of her relatives, V N Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case.

Under the law, conviction in a case where the jail sentence is more than two years disqualifies a person from holding an elected office for six years. RJD chief Lalu Prasad has been unable to contest elections due to his conviction in 2013 in a fodder scam case.

Pointing out the delay in pronouncement of the verdict, senior advocate Dushyant Dave mentioned the case before a bench headed by Justice P C Ghose, who along with Justice Amitav Roy, had heard the case. Justice Ghose then asked him to wait for another week as the judgement may be delivered next week.