Tamil Nadu CM appeals for calm

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam Tuesday urged people to be calm after the Karnataka High Court denied bail to jailed former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

He also asked people not to hold protests in ways that would affect the life of ordinary citizens and said the government should not be blamed for demonstrations organised by Jayalalithaa supporters.

"Some organisations due to their love and affection for 'revolutionary leader Amma' are holding non-violent protests against her conviction," he said in a statement, referring to Jayalalithaa.

"It is not acceptable to link the state government with those protests."

Panneerselvam said after presiding over a meeting on the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu that Jayalalithaa was opposed to street politics that affected the general public.

On Sep 27, a special court in Bangalore sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years in jail and fined her Rs.100 crore for corruption.

After it was wrongly reported Tuesday that she had been granted bail, widespread celebrations broke out in Tamil Nadu. But the joy turned into sorrow when it dawned that her bail plea had actually been rejected.