Bangalore, October 7
In a blow to jailed AIADMK chief and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the Karnataka High Court today rejected her bail plea in the disproportionate assets case, saying there was no ground to grant her relief.

“There are no grounds to give bail as corruption amounts to violation of human rights and leads to economic imbalance,” observed Justice AV Chandrashekhara, who pronounced the order in a packed court room.

Earlier, Special Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh told the court he had no objection to grant of conditional bail to Jayalalithaa (66).

As the prosecutor told the court that he was not opposed to Jayalalithaa’s bail, AIADMK supporters, who had gathered near the court, turned jubilant anticipating her release. However, when the verdict came, they went into a state of shock.

The AIADMK chief is left with no other option now but to approach the Supreme Court for relief. “My client will take a call”, her counsel Ram Jethmalani told reporters when asked whether they would move the SC.

The court also rejected the bail pleas of Jayalalithaa’s associate Shasikala and her relatives VN Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi, who have also been sent to four years in jail in the 18-year-old case. In his submission, Jethmalani urged for immediate bail to Jayalalithaa and cited the Supreme Court verdict granting relief to former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad in the fodder scam.

The court did not accept the submission, with the judge noting that Lalu Prasad had spent 10 months in jail before being granted bail by the apex court. Jethmalani also pleaded for suspension of the sentence by the special court which had asked Jayalalithaa to undergo simple imprisonment for four years.

“The regular practice was to give bail,” Jethmalani told Justice Chandrashekhara. Jethmalani also said appeals should be heard within a reasonable period of time. There was nothing found in the conduct of Jayalalithaa to show that she might abscond, he said.

Counsel Amit Desai, appearing for Shasikala, Sudhakaran and Ilavarasi pleaded for bail, telling the court that no witness talked of assets acquired by the three and suspicion cannot take the place of evidence.

Special Court Judge John Michael D' Cunha's verdict on September 27, holding Jayalalithaa and her three associates guilty of corruption, had unseated her as the Chief Minister. He had slapped a fine of Rs 100 crore on the AIADMK boss and Rs 10 crore fine each on the three other accused. Tight security was in force around the Karnataka High Court .