Chennai: On a day the DMK led alliance won all the seats in the by polls, which the AIADMK had boycotted, Jayalalithaa is still flashing a victory sign!
That's because she has won a battle in the Madras High Court which has upheld her acquittal by a lower court in the 10.16 crore colour TV case.
This was the case that had led to her sensational arrest on the December 7,1996. As Chief Minister between 1991 and 1996, her government had bought 45,302 colour TV sets for village Panchayats in Tamil Nadu.
The then DMK government filed a case of corruption against Amma in this transaction. In 2000, a Special Court had found Ms.Jayalalithaa innocent. But the DMK government had appealed against this acquittal.
"The DMK had foisted a case against Amma. Her stand that she is innocent has been vindicated," said Navaneethakrishnan, Jayalalithaa's lawyer.
Once a trusted Amma lieutenant - the then Local Administration Minister Selvaganapathy, along with three former IAS officers who were convicted by a lower court, have all been let off.
About two years ago, Selvaganapathy crossed over to the Karunanidhi camp. Sources say the DMK government is unlikely to appeal against this acquittal in the Supreme Court.
Ironically, the DMK was swept to power in 2006 largely because of its own free colour TV scheme! As for Ms.Jayalalithaa, she still has to fight a 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case that had been transferred to Bangalore on orders of the Supreme Court.