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Jayalalithaa convicted in the TANSI land case

· Guindy

A trial court convicted Jayalalithaa and Sasikala over the purchase of state TANSI land by their firms in 1992, a verdict that barred her from the 2001 election.

In 1992, during J. Jayalalithaa's first term as Chief Minister, Jaya Publications and Sasi Enterprises, firms in which she and V. K. Sasikala had holdings, bought land and buildings of the state-owned Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation (TANSI) in Guindy. The prosecution alleged that the price was well below market value and caused a loss to the state. On 9 October 2000 the trial court convicted her of criminal conspiracy and sentenced her to two years of rigorous imprisonment; four others were also convicted. Although the court stayed the conviction in November 2000, she was barred from contesting the 2001 assembly election. The Madras High Court acquitted her on 4 December 2001, and she later returned the land to TANSI in line with a Supreme Court judgement.

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