Sasikala moves HC to quash order of dismissal of appeal by

Former AIADMK leader V K Sasikala and her relative V Bhaskaran on Friday moved the Madras High Court, seeking quashing of an order of the Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi whereby it dismissed their appeal in FERA cases on the grounds of delay.

A division bench of justices M M Sundresh and C Saravanan issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate, returnable within two weeks, on the pleas by Sasikala and Bhaskaran who sought that their cases be restored with the Tribunal.

The notice was accepted by Special Public Prosecutor of the Enforcement Directorate Hema Babu.

The Enforcement Directorate had initiated prosecution proceedings against Sasikala and her relative V Bhaskaran in the case relating to import of transponders to the now defunct JJ TV in which the court had slapped a Rs 18 crore penalty on them for allegedly violating foreign exchange rules.

They challenged it before Appelate Tribunal in Delhi, which dismissed the petitions on the grounds that the appeal was not filed in time.

Sasikala and Bhaskaran then moved the Madras High Court by filing civil miscellaneous appeals.

Sasikala, who was former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's close aide, is serving a four-year prison term at Parapanna Agrahara jail in Bangalore since February 2017 after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction in a disproportionate assets case.