Jayalalithaa bail plea postponement due to discretion of judge, says TN Congress spokesperson

Tamil Nadu Congress Spokesperson Vijayarajdhani said here on Wednesday that adjournment of former state chief minister J Jayalalithaa's bail plea hearing by a vacation bench till October 7 next week was discretion of the judge.

"It is discretion of the judge so we cannot normally question that discretion," said Vijayarajdhani

"It is provided in the law that if there is a serious medical condition, if the condition is very bad, normally the court will consider the bail plea on an emergent basis," she added.

She further said, "We find if it's just a one week vacation, 99 percent most of the cases go to the regular court because hundreds and thousands of petitions are filed in the vacation court and the vacation judges are not many, and they will try to always push all these cases to the regular court."

She added that as far as Jayalalithaa's case is concerned hopefully it should be considered in the regular court depending on her medical conditions particularly.

Over the ongoing protest by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) workers against Jayalalithaa's conviction, Vijayarajdhani said, "The protest is particularly by the AIADMK workers, the ordinary public wouldn't prefer to fight political battle and face anger from parties.

She also appealed to the party workers who are fighting such a cause that they should see that they don't face any contempt and it should be not on a violent manner because otherwise it's against public and damaging law and order in state and the present Chief Minister will be responsible which will be held otherwise by center, and the center will have to intervene unnecessarily.

"The workers should protest in calm manner and should be vigilant in safeguarding their own government in Tamil Nadu and keep calm till she gets bail which she is likely to get on medical conditions," said Vijayarajdhani.

"A corruption case is always a corruption and it is viewed that way by Tamil Nadu. The biggest punishment in this that Jayalalithhaa lost her CM post rest is continuation of legal proceeding and as per law she might have lost her post for 10 years that is serious rest it's a normal case, it's just because of her position," she added.

Earlier today, the AIADMK workers formed a human chain involving more than 4,500 people in Chennai to protest against Jayalalithaa's conviction in Disproportionate Assets (DA) case.

Jayalalithaa was legally obliged to step down as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, which she has governed since 2011 under her latest term. Meanwhile, AIADMK leader and former chief minister O. Paneerselvam, took oath as the next chief minister of the state on Sunday.

Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail on Saturday in a high-profile corruption case that has lasted nearly two decades.

A special court in Bangalore found Jayalalithaa guilty of "disproportionately" amassing about Rs 60 crore outside her known sources of income, prosecution lawyers told reporters. She has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

Her supporters have been vociferously protesting against the verdict, with many even resorting to suicide.

The court has also fined the four-time chief minister Rs 100 crores, which will be taken from the properties that have already been seized by the court.