Waiting in the lawns outside the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday afternoon, supporters of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa discussed the antecedents of her conviction in the disproportionate asset case. Half of them said that she should get bail. The other half were sure that she would get bail.
“If she doesn't get bail today, half of the people in Tamil Nadu will die of shock,” said a woman who had come to Bangalore on the night train and had been stationed outside the court since 7 am.
Everything seemed to be going Jayalalithaa’s way in court. Her defense lawyers argued that she was entitled to bail while her appeal against conviction was pending and that she had diabetes, blood pressure and heart-related ailments. Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani also made the case that Lalu Prasad Yadav, whom he represented, was given bail when convicted for the fodder scam last year.
No objection raised
Towards the end of the hearing, public prosecutor G Bhavani Singh said he had no objection to Jayalalithaa getting conditional bail. Singh had earlier petitioned the court against her bail saying that she was an influential person in Tamil Nadu and that she might try to leave the country.
This is when word spread that Jayalalithaa is likely to get bail and celebrations among her supporters began even before the judge gave his order. The judge however took a view that there were no grounds on which to grant bail to Jayalalithaa and her three aides. Saying that corruption amounted to a violation of human rights, the judge refused to release them on bail.
Jayalalithaa can now approach the Supreme Court to get bail even as she waits for the Karnataka High Court to adjudicate on staying her conviction.
The celebrations quickly gave way to anger and tears even as policemen tried to move supporters away from the vicinity of the court. Jayalalithaa’s fans, who have come to Bangalore from around Tamil Nadu through the week, say they will stay in the city to show their support as long as she is lodged in jail here.
Dismissing the charges
“No one has forced us to come here. We have come here for Amma,” said an AIADMK member. “As long as we were at home our wives asked us, 'What are you doing here while Amma is there in jail?' and they sent us here.”
No matter what the lawyers and courts say, Jayalalithaa’s supporters are convinced that she has done no wrong. How can a person who has given them so much – cheap food, clothing, assistance to marry their daughters off, cheap cement – be corrupt, they ask. They believe that she deserves every bit of her wealth. “A normal person will have one chappal for the house, one to go out and one to go to the bathroom," said one person. "Shouldn’t Amma, who runs the whole of Tamil Nadu, have lots more?”
Many believe that the entire case is a conspiracy to bring Jayalalithaa down. “They're made up one story about her chappals, one about her sari, one about her ring, one about her chain," said one supporter. "We don't believe any of it.”
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“If she doesn't get bail today, half of the people in Tamil Nadu will die of shock,” said a woman who had come to Bangalore on the night train and had been stationed outside the court since 7 am.
Everything seemed to be going Jayalalithaa’s way in court. Her defense lawyers argued that she was entitled to bail while her appeal against conviction was pending and that she had diabetes, blood pressure and heart-related ailments. Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani also made the case that Lalu Prasad Yadav, whom he represented, was given bail when convicted for the fodder scam last year.
No objection raised
Towards the end of the hearing, public prosecutor G Bhavani Singh said he had no objection to Jayalalithaa getting conditional bail. Singh had earlier petitioned the court against her bail saying that she was an influential person in Tamil Nadu and that she might try to leave the country.
This is when word spread that Jayalalithaa is likely to get bail and celebrations among her supporters began even before the judge gave his order. The judge however took a view that there were no grounds on which to grant bail to Jayalalithaa and her three aides. Saying that corruption amounted to a violation of human rights, the judge refused to release them on bail.
Jayalalithaa can now approach the Supreme Court to get bail even as she waits for the Karnataka High Court to adjudicate on staying her conviction.
The celebrations quickly gave way to anger and tears even as policemen tried to move supporters away from the vicinity of the court. Jayalalithaa’s fans, who have come to Bangalore from around Tamil Nadu through the week, say they will stay in the city to show their support as long as she is lodged in jail here.
Dismissing the charges
“No one has forced us to come here. We have come here for Amma,” said an AIADMK member. “As long as we were at home our wives asked us, 'What are you doing here while Amma is there in jail?' and they sent us here.”
No matter what the lawyers and courts say, Jayalalithaa’s supporters are convinced that she has done no wrong. How can a person who has given them so much – cheap food, clothing, assistance to marry their daughters off, cheap cement – be corrupt, they ask. They believe that she deserves every bit of her wealth. “A normal person will have one chappal for the house, one to go out and one to go to the bathroom," said one person. "Shouldn’t Amma, who runs the whole of Tamil Nadu, have lots more?”
Many believe that the entire case is a conspiracy to bring Jayalalithaa down. “They're made up one story about her chappals, one about her sari, one about her ring, one about her chain," said one supporter. "We don't believe any of it.”