In a brief ruling, High Court Judge Kumaraswamy only said "appeal upheld," which means Jayalalithaa's conviction for corruption has been overturned, subsequently lifting her disqualification as an MLA and making her eligible to hold public office immediately. The acquittal implies that Jayalalithaa is all set to return as the CM of Tamil Nadu as the current CM O Panneerselvam will step aside for the party supremo to take the throne.
Her supporters, not known for their restraint, had gathered outside the party office early in the morning in the anticipation of the verdict and soon broke into dance, celebration and even fervent prayers in front of Amma's posters as soon as the news of her acquittal spread.
Here are a few glimpses from social media:
Its amma all over! #JayaVerdict @ibnlive @ibnkhabar pic.twitter.com/VaEKgKq5CT
— pallavi ghosh (@pallavighcnnibn) May 11, 2015
Today Amma day pic.twitter.com/uuxGEfssDl
— Sankara Karthikeyan (@SankarKarth) May 11, 2015
Amma is back...inimel nanga thanda.. pic.twitter.com/cpQ83bybb0
— Mohamed Yusuff G (@Home17Taj) May 11, 2015
Amma supporters at Poes Garden, expecting a relief for Jayalalithaa by KHC, confident supporters distribute sweets. pic.twitter.com/qXZsBDtcum
— Pinky Rajpurohit (@Madrassan) May 11, 2015
A sea of crowd gathers at Poes garden. Supporters chant their #Amma's name pic.twitter.com/0DrS7zok8l
— Sameera (@Sameeraa_Ahmed) May 11, 2015
Amma supporters after offering prayers for Jayalalithaa "Enga Uyir Amma" "Puratchi Thalaivi Amma" pic.twitter.com/rCyD8ZL1QQ
— Pinky Rajpurohit (@Madrassan) May 11, 2015
Chennai: Supporters gather outside Jayalalithaa’s residence, raising slogans ”long live Amma” #Jayalalithaa pic.twitter.com/Wd0gdILRJ4
— BJP India (@BJPIndiaBJP) May 11, 2015
Amma fans go crazy at Poes Garden #JayaVerdict pic.twitter.com/I3ytXwQH8N
— Sameera (@Sameeraa_Ahmed) May 11, 2015
Amma! #JayaVerdict pic.twitter.com/WlAfn2QQVn
— Akshay (@ComedyBanda) May 11, 2015
Yesterday, We celebrated Mother's Day; Now, It's time for "Amma Day" #JayaVerdict #AmmaIsBack pic.twitter.com/QJLUT0M87G
— Kohli The Half God (@TedhiBaat_) May 11, 2015
Will amma continue to reign Tamil Nadu politics?#JayaVerdict @ibnlive pic.twitter.com/FiwMzQzGnl
— pallavi ghosh (@pallavighcnnibn) May 11, 2015
And the party begins #jayaverdict @ibnkhabar @ibnlive pic.twitter.com/zVHo4hl8Xz
— pallavi ghosh (@pallavighcnnibn) May 11, 2015
Praying for divine intervention #JayaVerdict @ibnlive @ibnkhabar pic.twitter.com/K5TX6vauPJ
— pallavi ghosh (@pallavighcnnibn) May 11, 2015
AIADMK MPs in parliament in tears after #JayaVerdict pic.twitter.com/nfYmqaAv4S
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 11, 2015
Celebrations outside AIADMK office, Jayalalithaa acquitted #JayaVerdict pic.twitter.com/U07t1Jhqwx
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 11, 2015
#ammaisback #amma #ammaverdict #JayaVerdict She might have been acquitted, but the real winner is this couple. pic.twitter.com/LPYBixVcUH
— akshay Vaibhav (@me_akshayy) May 11, 2015
The following video by the News Minute is a good indicator of the jubilation among her supporters:
It is not like the theatrical craze among supporters is anything new. A few months ago, a supporter even tried to crucify himself asking for Jayalalithaa to be made the CM again.
Insane supporters. Amma wouldn't be very happy with it. "@ANI_news: ... https://t.co/jxJcgVdNIx "
— Rohit Vats (@nawabjha) February 23, 2015
The verdict, however, provided fodder for people on Twitter to do what they do best: make fun of the situation.
#JayaVerdictJayalalithaa will return as CM. So, O. Panneerselvam is free to stand in for Salman Khan in his movies.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) May 11, 2015
Amma to receive the 2015 Transparency International Award for her value-based, money-less politics and her ethical standards.
— SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) May 11, 2015
Mother's Day celebrations continue. Amma acquitted.#JayaVerdict
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) May 11, 2015
Amma fans making bhakts, aaptards and bhai tards look like calm, collected people.
— Tanmay Bhat (@thetanmay) May 11, 2015
And then there was this reaction from Kiran Bedi:
Fuuuuullllllllll Maaaarrrrkkkkksssss Tooooo Oooouuuuurrr Judddddiiicccaiillll Ssssyyyttttemmss..Meraaa Bharat Mahaann. Jaaay..Hiiiiind...
— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) May 11, 2015